Maputo – Filipe Basílio, head of monitoring and evaluation for Mozambique’s malaria control program in Nampula Province, in the north of the country, recalls the difficult task of collecting and analyzing data that was part of his daily work: “All the information recording tools were manual, and it took a long time for data to reach the Ministry because community health workers had to submit their reports to a supervisor at the end of the day. That supervisor would then forward them to the district level, then to the provincial level, and only after that would the Ministry receive the information,” he explains.

Mozambique’s Ministry of Health faced the enormous challenge of managing large volumes of data coming from multiple areas within its malaria control program. Health authorities were overwhelmed by this influx from various sources, leading to fragmented and slow data collection and analysis, which in turn hindered the ability to respond quickly to community needs.

To overcome this, in 2022 the Ministry of Health created a data hub called the Integrated Malaria Information System. By integrating key data systems – campaign data, supervision data, epidemiological data, and entomological data – and linking them to an easy-to-use visualization dashboard, the Ministry began receiving real-time data from the field, significantly improving data quality.

In 2023, the country began digitalizing its malaria campaigns. The process started with mosquito net distribution campaigns, followed by seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaigns, and finally indoor residual spraying campaigns. All three campaigns are now fully digitalized and integrated. Users can access the platform and view all campaign information, including coverage and performance, making analysis much easier. The results were almost immediate: the duration of campaigns dropped from 14 days to just five.

“We analyze the data and know what’s happening in real time,” says Dr. Baltazar Candrinho, Director of the National Malaria Control Program in Mozambique. “We no longer have to wait for someone to report a problem days later. We can track campaign coverage, team performance, and monitor stock levels. If a village hasn’t received mosquito nets or the campaign didn’t reach it, we can pinpoint it accurately using GPS.”

The Ministry of Health trained staff in all 11 provinces of the country, who in turn trained community health workers to conduct interviews and collect data in their communities. The goal is to improve data collection and analysis to support decision-making at the district level.

“At the central level, we already use this data to make decisions, but districts need to do the same. It’s a process of changing mindsets,” says Dr. Candrinho. When it comes to data collection, management, and storage, Mozambique has one of the most advanced malaria control programs in the world and is one of the few countries with all three anti-malaria campaigns fully digitalized.

“In the first year of the digitalization process, it was hard to find community health workers comfortable using mobile devices, because many had low education levels,” Basílio explains. “But things changed with training. Today, people in the communities even ask to become health workers because they’re interested in the digital process.”

In Africa, Mozambique leads in the digitalization of malaria efforts, becoming a regional model for health innovation. “In our current effort to develop national malaria data centers, Mozambique provides valuable lessons and best practices, showing what worked and why, which helps us make progress in other countries,” says Dr. Lawrence Kazembe, team lead of the Precision Public Health Program at WHO’s Regional Office for Africa, which is implementing similar innovations in other African nations.

Malaria is endemic in Mozambique, accounting for 3.4% of global malaria cases, making it the fifth highest-burden country worldwide. In 2024, over 11 million cases were reported, putting the entire population at risk. The highest prevalence is found in the northern region and along the Indian Ocean coast.

In 2024, the country implemented three digitalized malaria campaigns, marking a new step toward a comprehensive understanding of the disease burden, including mortality patterns across all communities.

“Through the High Burden to High Impact initiative led by WHO, we promoted and supported data-driven planning, provided frameworks for malaria surveillance, data analysis, and guidance on how to align data digitalization with decision-making processes, based on WHO guidelines,” explains Dr. Eva de Carvalho, medical officer for malaria at WHO’s Mozambique office.

Digitalization uses factual data from multiple sources to ensure efficient resource distribution to the most affected communities and vulnerable populations. It facilitates program evaluation and improves performance. This approach is also being used in other health response areas, beginning with neglected tropical diseases. Ultimately, this will have a positive impact on the health outcomes of end users — the people. “In the end, if we’re more efficient, there’s no doubt the community wins,” concludes Dr. Candrinho.