Uhuru Kenyatta calls for collective efforts to fight against malaria

Nairobi. Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta today said Africa must avoid complacency and secure additional resources to defeat malaria and save lives despite a very significant progress made in the past ten year in fighting against the disease.

President Uhuru said this after he was appointed Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA).

 “Although significant progress has been made in the battle against malaria over the past 10 years, in order to realize the Africa We Want as outlined in Agenda 2063, we must avoid complacency and secure additional resources to defeat malaria and save lives." said the Kenyan president.

He named the four priorities as Digitization and real time data by creation of a digital platform to provide real time access to malaria-related data at country level will enhance malaria prevention and elimination efforts and Engagement with regional economic blocs in Africa.

He said  there is a need to establish at least 15 new End Malaria Councils and Funds. This, according to him, will boost high-level, multi-sectoral engagement and advocacy at country level while increasing domestic resource mobilization and Youth Advisory Group.

“Create a ‘Malaria Youth Army’, working with existing youth leaders across the African continent to champion youth engagement and resource commitments for malaria elimination. The ‘Malaria Youth Army’ will promote innovation, research and development and create a cadre of malaria advocates and champions,” he said.

 On her part Mrs. Amira El-Fadil, Commissioner for Social Affairs for the African Union Commission noted that, “His Excellency President Kenyatta’s priorities for ALMA gained the immediate support of the African Union. We know that achieving these four priority areas will accelerate progress towards a malaria-free Africa”.

Malaria remains a significant challenge in Africa. The continent alone accounts for 93 per cent of global malaria cases and 94 percent of global malaria deaths. There is an urgent need for action in 10 high-burden African countries, which are responsible for 67 per cent of global malaria cases and 62 percent of deaths.

They are Nigeria, The Democratic Republic of The Congo, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Angola and Tanzania.

According to Malaria Spot, Tanzania has the third largest population at risk of malaria in Africa with over 90 per cent of population live in areas where there is malaria. Each year, 10 to 12 million people contract malaria in Tanzania and 80,000 die from the disease, most of them of them children.