NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – Global health leaders emphasized the importance of a country-led approach to using artificial intelligence in disease eradication during a session held at the UN General Assembly in New York. This gathering assembled health ministers, funders, diagnostics pioneers, and public health specialists. Co-hosted by the Global Institute for Disease Elimination, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and Nigeria’s government, the discussion centered on how AI can enhance disease monitoring, inform health policy decisions, and optimize the allocation of scarce resources.
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 need for national authority over decisions related to health system adoption of emerging technologies. Nigeria’s ongoing Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which targets primary healthcare and domestic health financing, was cited as an example. The participants agreed that deployment of AI tools should be steered by national priorities, health system capacity, and regional conditions.
Discussions also addressed the infrastructure required to broaden AI use in public health. Key topics included strengthening data systems, expanding workforce capabilities, integrating AI into health systems, and securing sustainable funding for viable programs. According to the latest World Health Organization malaria report, an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths occurred worldwide in 2024. The WHO African Region continues to bear the greatest share of the global burden, with Nigeria reporting the highest number of estimated malaria cases among countries in the region.
Training initiatives in AI aim to empower public health leaders
GLIDE announced the launch of two AI training programs targeting national program managers and public health experts. The GLIDE Leadership Excellence in AI for Health program is designed for senior health decision-makers and will be held in Abu Dhabi from January 17 to 22, 2027. The inaugural residential session will include 25 to 30 participants. This program emphasizes AI governance, deployment strategies, institutional readiness, and accountability, rather than training participants to develop AI models.
A second initiative, AI for All, was created by Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and tailored with GLIDE to serve public health professionals. This online course consists of four modules and does not require coding skills or technical background. Its curriculum covers the basics of AI, generative AI tools, issues of bias, privacy, accountability, and human oversight. The program aims to equip health professionals with practical knowledge to evaluate and implement AI solutions in public health settings.
GLIDE and RBM formalize partnership to combat malaria
During the New York session, GLIDE and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria also signed a letter of mutual understanding. This agreement links technical expertise, AI development, innovation, and capacity-building efforts with national malaria control strategies. It is focused on supporting country-led malaria elimination and control initiatives. The partnership aligns with the WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, which aims to guide international efforts to reduce malaria cases and fatalities through 2030.
Participants also explored AI applications in the fight against malaria, polio, and neglected tropical diseases amid tight health and humanitarian budgets. The conversation emphasized improving surveillance, targeting interventions more precisely, and maximizing resource efficiency. The organizers stressed that decisions on adopting and implementing new technologies should be driven by national health authorities. The core focus of the announced initiative at the UN General Assembly was on combining training, technical collaboration, and leadership at the country level to advance disease control efforts.