Abstract: A rapid immunochromatographic test (SD Bioline malaria P.f/P.v) for the diagnosis of malaria was evaluated against thick blood smears in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, for the purpose of evaluating its efficacy for field work. Two hundred and forty children aged 1-8 years were surveyed in a cross sectional prospective study. For P. falciparum, the SD Bioline was 47% sensitive and 100% specific, with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 83.2%. Efficiency of the test was 85.4%. The overall malaria prevalence in this study was 27.5%. P. falciparum accounted for 25.0%, while other species accounted for 2.75%. The cost of the SD Bioline test cassette (US $ 1.98 (230 Naira) per test at the time of study) was quite affordable. We concluded that the sensitivity of SD Bioline is low but with a threshold of 1000 parasites/microlitre among asymptomatic malaria infected children and affordable cost, this RDT (SD Bioline) could serve as a useful epidemiological tool in P. falciparum malaria endemic areas in the developing countries.