JUST IN: Experts task African govts, media on malaria elimination

Experts under the auspices of the African Media and Malaria Research Network, AMMREN, African leaders have been tasked with being more committed to investing in malaria elimination rather than relying on donor funds.

Experts at AMMREN’s webinar on 2023 World Mosquito Day urged African journalists to demand accountability from leaders for malaria elimination, urging them to continue their work. The Regional Malaria Elimination Focal Point WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville-Congo, Dr. Ebenezer S. Baba, bemoaned that Africa remains off-track to reaching the malaria GTS 2025 targets of a 75 percent reduction in malaria incidence and mortality rate compared to the 2015 baseline in his presentation titled: “The Elimination Agenda in Sub-Saharan Africa: Progress and Prospects”.

Baba urged for additional strategies aimed at establishing an enabling environment for the achievement of malaria elimination while highlighting chances to speed the attainment of malaria elimination on the continent. In particular, at the community level, he emphasised the necessity for interventions to foster stakeholder stewardship and ownership of the malaria eradication enterprise.

“There should be expanded engagement and partnership with academia, local research networks and institutions, as well as local regulatory agencies. “Go beyond focusing on access to health care services to quality of health service delivery and embrace innovative financing models to reduce the financial burden of the most affected, such as community health insurance models.”

Professor Emeritus Rose Leke, Board Chair of the Medical Research Institute at IMPM, emphasized the need for Africa to cease relying on donor funding for malaria combat.

“We depend on donors, and we need to know what we can do for ourselves. Malaria is in Africa; we should depend on ourselves by using resources from the various countries. We should use our own money to fund malaria fighting,” Leke said.

Professor Evelyn Korkor Ansah, Director of the Centre for Malaria Research at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana, emphasized that malaria elimination is a multi-sectorial issue, not just a health issue.

“Elimination cannot happen with the MoH/Health Service working alone; all stakeholders must contribute, including all aspects of the media, all sectors, community members and local leaders, and politicians.