More than 5.3 million malaria cases were recorded in Ghana in 2025, highlighting the continued burden of the disease despite years of intervention efforts.
In a bid to stem the tide, Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has successfully marked the 2026 World Malaria Day with a well-coordinated community engagement aimed at strengthening awareness, prevention, and collective action against malaria.
The celebration, held under the theme “Driven to End Malaria; Now we can. Now we must,” emphasized the urgent need for sustained collaboration among stakeholders. The event reinforced the importance of community ownership and practical interventions in achieving SDG 3, which underscores good health and well-being.
Malaria continues to be a leading ailment at various OPDs nationwide, particularly within the Tarkwa-Nsuaem and Prestea/Huni-Valley municipalities, where transmission rates remain significant.
Speaking at the event, the Municipal Director of Health for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, Wilhelmina Tiwaa Duah, revealed that malaria still leads in the various OPDs within the municipality.
“Malaria is an age-old disease and still a public health concern, and we need to accelerate action to end malaria within the municipality. In 2025, we recorded 160,474 suspected malaria cases, out of which 53,037 were confirmed positive cases,” she revealed.
She further revealed that pregnant women are also at risk.
“Out of the 628 pregnant women tested for malaria, 224 tested positive in 2025. This shows the need for a collaborative effort to fight malaria. Despite interventions such as treated mosquito nets and SP administered to pregnant women, the situation is still alarming. The effects of malaria during pregnancy are enormous, as it can lead to abortion, stillbirth, or premature delivery, which comes with its own neurological developmental challenges for the baby. Issues of anaemia are also critical as we battle to reduce maternal mortality. When pregnant women develop anaemia due to malaria, it must be taken seriously,” the Municipal Health Director underscored.
She lauded Gold Fields Ghana Foundation for the yearly support it renders to the Ghana Health Service and the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Health Directorate to help create awareness on malaria and its prevention. She singled out this year’s intervention as extraordinary.
“One key highlight of this year’s activity is the environmental aspect, where citizens were encouraged to keep their environments clean to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and ensure vector control from households. We are also implementing larval source management and other interventions to accelerate malaria control and prevention,” Madam Tiwaa Duah emphasized.
The Executive Secretary of the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, Abdel Razak Yakubu, said that since the day is marked globally with awareness creation, the Foundation deemed it fit that Tarkwa-Nsuaem was not left out, hence the partnership with the Municipal Assembly and Health Directorate.
“We invited members of the host communities, traditional authorities, unit committees, schoolchildren, and others to take part in the celebrations and discussions on malaria prevention. We have also purchased weed slashers to donate to WATSAN committee members to assist with communal labour, which will help reduce malaria prevalence in the communities.
“We understand that four out of every ten cases reported at hospitals are malaria-related, and this is exacting a heavy toll on productivity, mobility, and mortality. It is therefore in a bid to create the needed awareness that we, the Gold Fields Foundation, have partnered with various institutions to reduce malaria cases in Tarkwa-Nsuaem and Prestea/Huni-Valley,” he said.
He revealed that Gold Fields, through the Foundation, has committed 320,000 cedis to mark World Malaria Day and all related activities to ensure malaria is seen as a deadly condition that must be taken seriously.
By: Kwame Malcolm /Empire FM/ Takoradi
