TZ joins efforts to eliminate malaria

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has joined other Southern African Development Community (Sadc) member states to sign the Windhoek Declaration that calls for increased resource allocation from country governments to address gaps in funding and supportive policies to promote malaria elimination.

It’s also aimed at advancing a continent-wide pledge to eliminate the disease made at the 2016 Africa Union Summit.

The Windhoek Declaration was signed at the 38th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and approved by ministers of Health and signed by heads of state from all 16 Sadc.

The countries are Tanzania, Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In a statement, the Windhoek reaffirms country commitments to elimination at the highest political level and reigniting progress to meet new challenges head on, while at the same time shows strong regional leadership.

Former Namibia’s minister of Health and Elimination Eight (E8) ambassador Richard Kamwi said the declaration aimed at data-sharing and programme implementation, and establish national malaria elimination taskforces. Some countries, including Eswatini, Namibia, and South Africa have already undertaken efforts to quantify and address financial gaps at the domestic level. In addition, countries are improving accountability and action on malaria elimination by tracking progress through the ALMA Scorecard.

These efforts will complement those of the existing Sadc (E8), an initiative created by the bloc in 2009 to pioneer a sub-regional malaria elimination strategy in eight of the 16 Sadc countries.

The E8 focuses on facilitating the sharing of best practices, data, and expertise, strengthening efficiency and effectiveness, and building a model that can be adapted across other Sadc countries and beyond.

“We know we can eliminate malaria in Sadc,” he said, “We have leadership and vision, and are united to achieve this shared goal. The signing of the Windhoek Declaration will strengthen an historic movement to liberate African countries from the burden of malaria once and for all, and unlock the potential of millions across the region.”

In response to rising cases of malaria in the region, countries across southern Africa are stepping up commitments to eliminate the disease by 2030.

Malaria is one of the most pressing health issues facing sub-Saharan Africa, with around 90 per cent of all malaria cases and deaths worldwide occurring in the continent.

In 2016, there were more than 47 million cases in the Sadc region alone, primarily among children under the age of five.

However, the region’s hard-won gains are fragile. In the last few years, funding for malaria has flat lined, and a number of countries in the region have seen a subsequent increase in cases.

“The progress or failure of one country’s efforts to eliminate malaria is connected to the success of other countries in the region,” said Mr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, chair of the Sadc Council of Ministers and Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia.