Addis Ababa February 6/2022/ENA/ The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta urged African leaders to maximize their efforts to eliminate Malaria by 2030 in the continent.
President Kenyatta, who is also chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), made the remark today during the launch of the 2021 Malaria Progress Report on Africa in Addis Ababa on the margins of the ongoing 35th African Union Summit.
According the report malaria remains a significant threat to the health and socio-economic development of Africa.
The report stated that the burden of malaria in the continent is more significant than previously showing a 19 percent increase of deaths.
Some 2.1 million additional malaria deaths have been registered in Africa since 2000, it indicated.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also been compounding the challenges of malaria in the continent, the report added noting that the pandemic alone contributed to 49, 000 additional malaria deaths in 2020 across the continent.
The report further stated that the continent is not on the right track to achieve its ambitious goal of eliminating malaria by 2030.
According to the report, only 15 member states of the African Union including Ethiopia achieved significant progress towards the 2030 targets.
Among AU Members Ethiopia, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Gambia and Ghana were able to reduce malaria incidence by at least 40 percent. While Estwatini, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal and Togo reduced the incidence by 25 to 40 percent.
Two countries, Ethiopia and South Africa reduced malaria mortality by 40 percent; Niger, Sierra Leone and Togo also reduced the mortality by 25 to 40 percent.
While, Cape Verde and Sao Tome & Principe have been registered zero death of Malaria since 2018, the report revealed.
During the occasion President Kenyatta called African leaders to be the forefront globally and nationally to achieve goal of eliminating malaria by 2030, noting that ending malaria is attainable if the African Heads of State and Government take decisive actions.
Kenyatta further pointed out the need to advocate for the replenishment of the Global Fund in 2022 and mobilize new coalition of malaria champions at home and abroad.
Founded in 2009, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) is a ground-breaking coalition of African Heads of State and Government working across country and regional borders to achieve a malaria-free Africa by2030. All African Union countries are members of ALMA.
