NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – Global health authorities urged for a nation-centered approach to artificial intelligence in disease eradication at a United Nations General Assembly event held in New York. The gathering included health ministers, funders, diagnostics specialists, and public health experts. The Global Institute for Disease Elimination, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and Nigeria’s government jointly organized the forum. Discussions concentrated on how AI can enhance disease monitoring, inform health strategies, and optimize resource allocation toward key priorities.
Representing Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, Michael Adekunle Charles, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, highlighted the importance of national authority over decisions related to technological adoption in health systems. Nigeria’s ongoing Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative encompasses primary healthcare and domestic health financing. Participants emphasized that AI deployment should be directed by national goals, system capacity, and local realities.
The discussion also addressed infrastructural needs for broader AI integration into public health, including data infrastructure, workforce training, system integration, and funding for sustainable programs. The latest WHO malaria assessment estimates 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths globally in 2024, with Africa bearing the highest burden. Nigeria reported the largest number of malaria cases among countries in the region.
Training initiatives in AI aim at health leaders
GLIDE unveiled two AI-focused training programs targeting national program managers and public health professionals. The GLIDE Leadership Excellence in AI for Health program, targeting senior decision-makers, will be held in Abu Dhabi from January 17 to 22, 2027. The inaugural residential cohort will comprise 25 to 30 participants. Its emphasis is on AI governance, deployment, organizational readiness, and accountability, not on building AI models.
Another program, AI for All, was developed by Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and customized with GLIDE to suit public health professionals. This online course, with four modules and no coding prerequisites, covers AI basics, generative AI tools, bias, privacy, accountability, and human oversight. It aims to equip health experts with practical skills to assess and implement AI tools effectively in public health settings.
Partnership between GLIDE and RBM solidifies malaria efforts
During the New York event, GLIDE and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria signed a memorandum of understanding, formalizing their collaboration. This framework links technical expertise, AI innovation, and capacity development with country-specific malaria control and elimination goals. It aligns with the WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, which aims to cut malaria cases and fatalities by 2030.
The discussions also covered AI’s role in combating malaria, polio, and neglected tropical diseases amid tight health and humanitarian budgets. The focus was on enhancing surveillance, targeting interventions, and maximizing resource use. Emphasis was placed on empowering national health authorities to lead decisions on technology use. The initiative, announced during the UN General Assembly, centers on training, technical support, and country leadership to drive progress in disease control.