Nigeria adopts roadmap to eliminate malaria in Africa by 2030

The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) is commending the adoption of a comprehensive new roadmap to eliminate malaria in Africa by 2030.African leaders 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. The framework outlines a pathway to “eliminate malaria prevalence and mortality, and prevent its transmission and reestablishment in all countries by 2030.”

Current Chair of the AU and President of Chad, Idriss Déby Itno who has been the chair of African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) since year 2000, 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.

African leaders have again shown their commitment to end malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB by adopting the Catalytic Framework 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 a malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB -free Africa”  

Malaria mortality rates in Africa have fallen by 66 percent among all age groups and by 71 percent among children under five years old. Deaths from malaria in Africa have decreased from an estimated 764,000 in 2000 to 395,000 in 2015. Still, malaria remains one of the top causes of diseases in pregnant women and mortality in children under five.

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.

On her part, Executive Secretary of ALMA, Joy Phumaphi, “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.”

“Nigeria is on the front-line of the battle to eliminate malaria and progress is being made. Incidents of malaria among children decreased from 42 percent in 2010 to 27.4 percent in 2015. The percentage of children under five-years old sleeping under LLINs increased from 16.6 percent in 2013 to 43.6 percent in 2015. During the same time, the percentage of pregnant women sleeping under a LLIN increased from 17.8 in 2013 to 50.3.

The Catalytic Framework is a reflection of the high level pan-African leadership and commitment that is necessary to meet our common 2030 goal of a malaria-free Africa.”
Joining other African heads of state and government, Nigeria 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. Countries committed to the strengthening of health systems, accountability and community engagement.

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.

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.

The Catalytic Framework was adopted and it defines continent-wide goals for HIV/AIDS TB, and Malaria, focusing on the guiding principles of country ownership and leadership, financial and political commitment, equal access to health services for vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations, and robust surveillance and response systems. It outlines milestones and targets, with the aim of reducing malaria incidence and mortality rate by at least 40 percent by 2020, and 75 percent by 2025; With the ultimate goal of eliminating malaria, and preventing re-establishment in all African countries by 2030.