The military government of Burkina Faso has announced the suspension of the Bill Gates-funded malaria program.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the Gates-funded malaria program named “Target Malaria” is an initiative aimed at releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in an experimental bid to eradicate malaria.
The decision, announced by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, cited concerns over efficacy, foreign influence, and alignment with national priorities as the reason for the suspension of the Gates-funded malaria program.
The Ministry also announced that the facilities containing the mosquitoes were sealed on August 18, and the remaining samples are set to be destroyed under a strict protocol.
The statement reads in part: “The Burkinabè public should be aware that the government has terminated all the activities of the project Target Malaria on its territory”.
Recall that the Target Malaria program was launched in Burkina Faso in 2012. The program was part of a research consortium led by Imperial College London.
The project explored genetic modification as a cost-effective method to control mosquito populations and reduce malaria transmission, a disease that claims over 600,000 lives annually.
In 2019, under then-President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, Burkina Faso became the first country in Africa to release genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild.
These mosquitoes were said to be engineered to produce predominantly male offspring, aiming to curb population growth, by spreading specific traits through wild mosquito populations.
In a recent statement, Target Malaria said: “The National Biosafety Agency (ANB) and the National Environmental Assessment Agency (ANEVE) responded favourably in July 2025 to the authorisation request submitted by the Target Malaria Burkina Faso team based at the Institute of Health Sciences Research (IRSS) to conduct controlled releases of non-gene drive genetically modified male bias mosquitoes.
“As part of this process, the Ethics Committee for Health Research (CERS) also issued its approval.”
The organisation added that “On 11 August 2025, one small-scale release of non-gene drive genetically modified male bias mosquitoes took place successfully, in accord with terms and conditions of the ANB and ANEVE permits.”
