Nov. 18, 2025 GES Colloquium

Building Local Capacity for Innovative Mosquito Control: Lessons from SIT and Nanotechnology Research

ZOOM ONLY | Dr. Hamidou Maïga will share insights on how innovative mosquito control, including Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and nanotechnology, is being used to combat vector-borne diseases.

Innovative and sustainable mosquito control approaches are urgently needed to address the growing challenge of vector-borne diseases in Africa. This presentation will showcase efforts to build local capacity for the development and implementation of advanced technologies, focusing on the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and nanotechnology-based interventions. Drawing from ongoing research worldwide, we will discuss the optimization of mosquito mass-rearing, irradiation, and release systems to enhance the efficiency of SIT programs. In parallel, we will highlight promising findings from studies on chemically and green-synthesized silver nanoparticles, which demonstrated strong larvicidal activity against both susceptible and insecticide-resistant strains of Anopheles coluzzii. These results underline the potential of nanotechnology as an eco-friendly and effective complement to traditional control tools. The presentation will also address challenges in developing nanotechnology-based approaches as a potential tool to reduce the burden of mosquito-borne diseases across Africa.

Related links:

• Blog: Governing Emerging Technologies: A Lesson from Burkina Faso , Nourou Barry and Katie Barnhill, 9/5/25

• Download seminar poster

Hamidou Maïga, PhD

Medical Entomologist at the Institute de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante, Direction Regionale de l’Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Burkina Faso | LinkedIn | Google Scholar | X

Dr. Hamidou Maïga is a medical entomologist whose research focuses on innovative mosquito control strategies to combat vector-borne diseases. He specializes in the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), contributing to the development and optimization of mosquito mass-rearing, irradiation, and release systems to enhance the effectiveness of SIT-based programs. Dr. Maïga has also initiated pioneering work on the application of nanotechnology in mosquito control, exploring eco-friendly, plant-based nanoparticle formulations as sustainable alternatives to conventional insecticides. His broader research aims to strengthen local scientific capacity and promote environmentally sound, genetics- and plant-based approaches to vector management across Africa

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