From 24 August to 4 September 2026, Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), through the Molecular Surveillance of Malaria in Mainland Tanzania Phase II (MSMT2) project, conducted a specialised training in malaria molecular surveillance at the IHI-supported Genomics Laboratory at the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) Headquarters in Dar es Salaam.

The training, opened by  brought together laboratory personnel from the National Public Health Laboratory, Zanzibar Malaria Control Programme and Ifakara Health Institute, equipping participants with practical skills in molecular laboratory techniques, genomic sequencing and bioinformatics analysis for malaria surveillance.

The 10-day training covered key stages of the malaria molecular surveillance workflow, including sample preprocessing, DNA extraction, quantitative PCR (qPCR), malaria parasite detection, whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.

Participants also received practical training on Molecular Inversion Probe (MIP) workflows and the MAD4HaTTeR approach, covering processes such as multiplexed PCR, bead clean-up, indexing, quality control, library preparation, sequencing and analysis of sequencing data.

The programme further strengthened participants’ capacity in bioinformatics, with sessions focused on quality control, demultiplexing, downstream analysis and troubleshooting. The training concluded with malaria molecular surveillance data reporting, a post-test, training evaluation and certification.

Through the training, MSMT2 contributed to strengthening technical capacity across institutions involved in malaria surveillance, supporting the generation and analysis of molecular data that can inform malaria control and elimination efforts in Tanzania.