NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – Global health leaders emphasized the importance of a country-led strategy for artificial intelligence in disease elimination during an event at the UN General Assembly in New York. The session brought together health ministers, funders, diagnostics leaders, and public health experts, with the Global Institute for Disease Elimination, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and the Government of Nigeria co-hosting. Attendees discussed how AI can enhance disease monitoring, inform health decisions, and allocate scarce resources more effectively.
Michael Adekunle Charles, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, spoke on behalf of Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate. His remarks highlighted the need for nations to maintain control over decisions concerning the adoption of new technologies within their health systems. Nigeria is also implementing its Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which covers primary healthcare and domestic health financing. Participants agreed that national priorities, health system capacity, and local circumstances should shape the deployment of AI tools.
The discussion focused on the infrastructure required to broaden AI implementation in public health, including data systems, workforce readiness, health system integration, and funding for sustainable programs. The latest World Health Organization malaria report estimates 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths worldwide in 2024, with the WHO African Region bearing the largest share of the global burden. Nigeria recorded the highest estimated number of malaria cases among countries in the region.
AI leadership training programs targeted at health officials
GLIDE announced two initiatives aimed at enhancing the skills of national program managers and public health professionals. Its GLIDE Leadership Excellence in AI for Health program, designed for senior decision-makers, will take place in Abu Dhabi from January 17 to 22, 2027, with 25 to 30 participants expected. The program emphasizes AI governance, deployment strategies, institutional readiness, and accountability, rather than instructing participants on developing AI models.
Additionally, the AI for All program, developed by Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, has been adapted by GLIDE for public health professionals. This online course offers four modules, requiring no coding or technical background. Its curriculum covers AI basics, generative AI tools, bias, privacy, accountability, and human oversight, equipping health workers with practical skills to evaluate and incorporate AI in public health settings.
Partnership formalized between GLIDE and RBM for malaria efforts
During the New York meeting, GLIDE and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria also signed a letter of mutual understanding. This framework aims to connect technical expertise, AI innovation, and capacity-building initiatives with national malaria control priorities, focusing on country-led efforts to reduce malaria through elimination. The collaboration supports the WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, which aims to cut cases and fatalities by 2030.
Discussions also covered AI’s role in combating malaria, polio, and neglected tropical diseases amid tight health and humanitarian budgets. The focus was on improving surveillance, targeting interventions more precisely, and maximizing the efficient use of resources. The organizers highlighted the importance of national health authorities leading decisions on technology adoption and implementation. The initiative announced at the UN assembly centers on training, technical support, and empowering countries to steer their own health strategies through leadership and cooperation.