ALMA welcome roadmap to stamp out malaria

The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) has welcomed the adoption of a comprehensive new roadmap to eliminate malaria in Africa by 2030. African leaders Sunday, 17 July endorsed the Catalytic Framework to end AIDS, TB and Eliminate Malaria in Africa by 2030 during the 27th African Union (AU) Summit in Kigali, Rwanda.

A release issued in Monrovia says the framework outlines a pathway to “eliminate malaria incidence and mortality, and prevent its transmission and reestablishment in all countries by 2030. The current chair of the AU, AIDS Watch Africa and ALMA President Idriss Déby Itno of Chad, urged leaders to redouble their efforts to sustain existing donor funding and ramp up domestic resources to ensure the success of the roadmap and implementation of innovative health solutions to eliminate malaria.

“Today, Africa’s leaders have again shown their commitment to the fight to end malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB by adopting the Catalytic Framework to end AIDS, TB and Eliminate Malaria by 2030 with clear targets and milestones. Through our continued leadership and increased cooperation to finance and provide lifesaving anti-malaria interventions, we can sustain our momentum and achieve malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB -free Africa” said President Déby Itno.

Since 2000, malaria mortality rates in Africa have fallen by 66 percent among all age groups and by 71 percent among children under five years, while annual malaria deaths in the Continent have decreased from an estimated 764,000 in 2000 to 395,000 in 2015, though malaria remains one of the top causes of morbidity in pregnant women and mortality in children under five.

The release says a ground-breaking coalition of 49 heads of state and government, ALMA has worked with governments to keep malaria high on the national and international development agenda since its founding in 2009.

“African leadership is our most powerful weapon in the war against malaria,” said Joy Phumaphi, Executive Secretary of ALMA, and added, “In renewing their commitment to fight malaria and endorsing a framework to get us there, African leaders have brought us one step closer to an Africa free of malaria.”

Liberia has set ambitious goals in fighting malaria and has made significant progress in the distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets to achieve universal coverage, she noted.  She said earlier this year, Liberia received the 2016 ALMA Award for Excellence for its ‘Performance in Malaria Control between 2011 and 2015’ and added that the adoption of the Catalytic Framework is a milestone marking Liberia’s commitment to eliminating malaria on the continent.

Joining other African heads of state and government, Liberia committed to the full support of, and compliance with the requirements of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the International Health Regulations focusing on improved quality data collection, analysis and sharing.

The meeting pushed for the accelerated implementation of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa, emphasizing the need for improved quality of locally produced commodities as well as access and affordability.

President Déby Itno emphasized the importance of local manufacturing in each subregion as a vehicle for both improved health services and employment creation. Leaders at the Summit also commended international donors – calling on partners to fully replenish the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria this year at the Global Fund Replenishment Conference. They committed to increased domestic financing from both the public and private sectors and endorsed the domestic financing scorecard introduced by the AUC.

Founded in 2009, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance is a ground-breaking coalition of 49 African Heads of State and Government working across country and regional borders to achieve a malaria free Africa by 2030. Press release