… As SORA Tech targets mosquito breeding sites
By Chioma Obinna
As malaria-carrying mosquitoes change their behaviour and weaken traditional prevention tools, Japanese health-tech startup SORA Technology said it is set to launch drone-guided malaria control in Nigeria, following years of work across West and East Africa.
In a virtual interview with Vanguard, SORA’s Chief Operations Officer, Marina Ishikawa, detailed how the company’s drone and AI-based system has cut costs and improved targeting of malaria-transmitting mosquito larvae in other African countries.
She said SORA is now in active discussions with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) in Nigeria, and has already hired a local representative to coordinate a planned pilot.
Burden of malaria
Malaria remains one of Nigeria’s most severe public-health challenges. According to the WHO’s regional data, Nigeria recorded an estimated 68 million malaria cases and about 194,000 malaria-related deaths in 2021.
The country continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden, accounting for around 27 percent of all malaria cases worldwide.
In 2023, the WHO reported that 30.9 percent of global malaria deaths occurred in Nigeria, with a particularly high toll among children under five.
Across Africa, the malaria burden remains enormous: WHO estimates show the African Region accounts for more than 90 percent of global malaria cases and deaths.
How SORA’s technology works
SORA’s innovation centres on combining drone imaging with artificial intelligence to map standing water—potential mosquito breeding sites—and then distinguish which ones likely host malaria-bearing Anopheles larvae. During its field operations, SORA has confirmed via manual sampling that only about 30 percent of water bodies actually harbor the mosquito larvae that transmit malaria. Ishikawa said this insight is transformative.
She explained that by focusing larvicide application only on these high-risk sites, SORA can dramatically reduce both chemical use and labour costs.
“The drones additionally enable spraying in remote or difficult-to-reach areas, where human teams would struggle to operate efficiently.”
Success stories across Africa
She said SORA has already deployed the system in several African nations: Ghana, Sierra Leone, Benin, and Kenya, among them. Most recently, the company has begun work in Mozambique, partnering with the World Health Organisation.
According to the company, plans are underway to expand to Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania early next year, with a longer-term goal of entering more than ten additional countries.
One of SORA’s key strengths, Ishikawa said, is its emphasis on training local teams to operate both the drones and the surveillance infrastructure.
“Once we train local operators, they can run the whole system independently,” she said, making the model more sustainable in the long run.
Why this approach matters now
She explained that traditional malaria control tools, such as insecticide-treated bed nets, have been the backbone of prevention for decades. But Ishikawa noted a major shift: malaria mosquitoes are increasingly biting outside and during daytime, not just indoors at night. These changes in mosquito behavior undermine the protective power of bed nets.
“As mosquitoes evolve, our response must evolve, too,” she said. “Preventing them at the larval stage is increasingly vital.”
By intervening where mosquitoes breed rather than just where they bite, SORA’s approach targets malaria at its root, potentially stopping infections before they begin.
Barriers and pushback
Despite the promise of drone- and AI-driven malaria control, SORA faces hurdles in scaling up. Drone usage is still unfamiliar to many governments and communities, which raises concerns about safety, data privacy, and cost. Securing formal approvals and funding often requires extensive negotiation.
“Getting governments on board takes time. People want to see proof, not just promises,” Ishikawa admitted.
However, the company’s existing deployments and partnerships are helping build trust. SORA argued that once a country is on board, its model can scale more quickly due to its precision and cost-efficiency.
Nigeria as a strategic priority
For SORA, Nigeria represents a critical frontier. With one of the world’s highest malaria burdens, the impact of a successful programme could be enormous. The company aide said it will work with Nigerian health authorities to decide where to begin, whether in high-transmission rural zones or densely populated urban areas.
“Our objective is clear. We want to reduce malaria dramatically within the first few years, and then push toward zero.”Ishikawa said.
Backing and global support
SORA recently raised JPY 670 million (roughly USD 4.8 million) in a seed funding round, which will help fuel its expansion into Nigeria and beyond. Investors include Nissay Capital, DRONE FUND, and others who share the company’s mission of building technology-enabled global health infrastructure.
The company has also aligned itself with global health initiatives. It’s a member of the G7-endorsed Triple I Initiative, which supports innovation, investment, and impact in global health
The funding and partnerships aim to strengthen its AI forecasting tools, scale up drone operations, and deepen engagement with local teams. The SORA boss believed that drones and AI can build life-saving public-health systems where traditional methods struggle.
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