Roadmap for the Implementation of Malaria Genomic Surveillance in Africa

Executive Summary

Africa bears the world’s most significant malaria burden in terms of both cases and deaths. Despite considerable progress over the past few decades, the drive toward malaria elimination has stalled. While malaria-related deaths have decreased compared to the early 2000s, the rate of decline in malaria incidence has slowed in recent years. If current strategies remain unchanged, elimination targets will not be achieved.

A crucial element in accelerating progress is the development of improved surveillance systems and tools that provide decision-makers with timely, high-quality data and actionable insights. The investments made to establish genomic platforms for COVID-19 surveillance have catalyzed a genomic revolution—one that can now be leveraged to strengthen the surveillance of endemic diseases such as malaria.

The primary goal of malaria molecular surveillance is to save lives through direct and indirect improvements in public health interventions. In 2022, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) established a Technical Working Group for Genomic Surveillance of Malaria with two objectives:

1. To deliver a roadmap for implementing a continent-wide approach to malaria genomic surveillance; and
2. To integrate malaria molecular surveillance into the existing malaria control and elimination toolbox.