The Ministers of Health from African countries with the highest burden of malaria has pledge to accelerate action to end deaths from the disease.
The Ministers of Health in African countries gathered in a conference in Yaounde at Cameroon Thursday.
The ministers added that they pledged to sustain and equitably address the threat of malaria in the African region, which accounts for 95% of malaria deaths globally.
The ministers, gathering in Yaoundé, Cameroon, signed a declaration committing to provide stronger leadership and increased domestic funding for malaria control programmes; to ensure further investment in data technology; to apply the latest technical guidance in malaria control and elimination; and to enhance malaria control efforts at the national and sub-national levels.
The ministers further pledged to increase health sector investments to bolster infrastructure, personnel and programme implementation; to enhance multi-sectoral collaboration; and to build partnerships for funding, research and innovation.
In signing the declaration, the ministers expressed their “unwavering commitment to the accelerated reduction of malaria mortality” and “to hold each other and our countries accountable for the commitments outlined in this declaration.”
The Yaoundé conference, co-hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of Cameroon, gathered Ministers of Health, global malaria partners, funding agencies, scientists, civil society organisations and other principal malaria stakeholders.
The ministerial conference has four key aims: review progress and challenges in achieving the targets of the WHO global malaria strategy; discuss mitigation strategies and funding for malaria; agree on effective strategies and responses for accelerated malaria mortality reduction in Africa; and establish a roadmap for increased political commitment and societal engagement in malaria control, with a clear accountability mechanism.
