Mr Emmanuel Umenwa, the Chief Executive Officer, Geneith Pharmaceutical Limited, says combating malaria in Nigeria demands innovation and youth-driven ideas.
Umenwa said this on Friday in Abuja, during a media conference to announce the Geneith National Health Competition aimed at leveraging on young people to own the fight against malaria.
He described malaria as a pressing health concern in Nigeria, citing a World Health Organisation (WHO) report which showed the country accounted for 27 per cent of global malaria cases and 31 per cent of malaria-related deaths.
He stressed that combating malaria was beyond funding and access to healthcare.
“Our target is also to reignite our passion for the battle against malaria.
“This will involve rejuvenating our collective commitment to the cause, especially among our youth, who are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also the change-makers of today.
“We do this by motivating them to take action. We will be empowering them to become champions of public health, who will assist to spread the message of prevention and awareness in their communities”.
This, he said, would be by channeling their creativity and energy, empowering them to take ownership of the fight, thus becoming champions of health in their various communities.
He noted that the competition would engage participants in public health advocacy, project design, and community outreach, with a prize pool exceeding N120 million.
Organised by CEOAfrica and sponsored by Geneith Pharmaceutical Limited, with support from Coatal Forte Softgel, the competition seeks to harness the creativity and passion of young Nigerians in raising awareness and developing innovative strategies for malaria prevention.
In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said “malaria remains both a health and developmental challenge, with emotional, economic, and infrastructural implications”.
Represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr Godwin Ntadom, Pate commended the organisers for championing such a laudable and impactful initiative.
Explaining the competition format, the Managing Director, CEOAFRICA, Mr Cletus Ilobanafor, said it would be conducted nationwide and structured as a quiz competition with three categories: Junior Secondary School (JSS), Senior Secondary School (SSS), and Tertiary Institution.
“The first round will be online for the state level, after which winners will proceed to physical regional-level contests.
“From there, winners progress to the regional stage and then to the national finals. Only the top participant in each stage moves to the next.”
According to him, the competition will run on a one-year cycle, with registration starting June 1.
“Also, a 14-member College of Assessors, drawn from various healthcare sectors, will oversee the process”.
Ilobonafor also detailed the prizes for the state through to national levels to range from N300,000 to N5 million for JSS category, N500,000 to N10 million for SSS category and N2.5 million to N15 million for tertiary category.
This is aside other gift items that would be distributed to participants across the country.
Highlight of the event was the inauguration of an online portal for interested participants to register: www.geneithhealthcompetition.com
