Bukola Afeni
The Ecobank Group, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and Speak Up Africa, are calling on organisations to join the “Zero Malaria Businesses Leadership Initiative” to support the fight against malaria in their country.
The group also affirmed the need to mobilize communities, political leaders and private businesses to develop and support innovative funding initiatives to end malaria.
They made the plea on the occasion of the world malaria day celebration in Dakar.
The bodies disclosed that significant progress has been made in the control of malaria through joint efforts of global actors and national programs.
” According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 185 million cases and nearly one million deaths were averted worldwide in 2021 thanks to national programs’ interventions.
Despite these efforts, malaria is still a threat to populations, claiming 619,000 deaths in 2021, of which 96% occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.
The annual number of malaria cases also increased from 232 million in 2019 to 247 million in 2021.”
Analyzing the impact of the conflict in Ukraine, the group explained that “At the same time, funding for malaria control and elimination does not meet the real needs in countries. The global funding for malaria control in 2021, for example, has been estimated at US$ 3.5 billion.
This is less than the US$ 7.3 billion that the WHO estimated was needed to support national malaria control programs’ efforts in Africa. The rising cost of fuel due to Covid-19 and the conflict in Ukraine are impacting the supply chain, as well as the cost of transport to roll out prevention tools to populations exposed to malaria. Without sustained investment in malaria control, there is a risk that the progress made in recent decades will be reversed.”
The Executive Director of Speak Up Africa, Yacine Djibo, emphasized the need to
take innovative and concrete measures to achieve zero malaria in African countries. “Through the mobilization of resources, businesses are contributing to the achievement of national targets and can inspire other partners to join efforts to eliminate the disease on the continent once and for all.
A member of the Benin National Assembly, Ake Natonde said” through innovative approaches, optimized interventions, and sustained investment, we can accelerate our efforts to achieve a healthy, malaria-free Africa. We have the means to end malaria for a more just and equitable world”.
The group further mentioned that to address this challenge, the Ecobank Group, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and Speak Up Africa launched the “Zero Malaria Businesses Leadership Initiative” to engage businesses of all sizes to contribute financially to the efforts of national malaria control programs.
The initiative, which is being deployed in five African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, and Uganda), has mobilized 60 companies to date and their financial and in-kind contributions amount to more than US$ 1.3 million between 2020 and 2023.
The Chief Operating Officer of Ecobank Foundation Elisa Desbordes-Cissé, explained that the estimated economic losses due to malaria are US$ 12 billion each year.
“This is a huge loss to the development of African countries and the growth of our businesses. We believe that the private sector can and should play a key role in financing the fight against malaria. Moreover, businesses have a vested interest in participating in national malaria control efforts because a healthy population helps the country’s economy develop and allows the private sector to grow efficiently”.
