Wednesday 6 th March 2024 – Ministers from African countries with the highest burden of malaria have today signed a declaration marking their commitment to reducing malaria mortality and agreeing on key actions to accelerate progress towards achieving global targets to end malaria.
Gathering in Yaoundé, Cameroon, at a conference hosted by WHO, African Ministers of Health also pledged to further investment in data technology, apply the latest technical guidance in malaria control and elimination, and enhance malaria control efforts at national and sub-national levels. They committed to increasing health sector investments to bolster infrastructure, personnel and programme implementation, to enhance multi-sectoral collaboration, and to build partnerships for funding, research and innovation.
 
The declaration marks a historic turning point in the fight against this disease. Africa still bears the heaviest burden of malaria globally, with 11 countries, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania responsible for over 70% of the global malaria incidence. Establishing a sufficient malaria response in these countries is therefore critical to saving lives and achieving a zero-malaria world.
 
In signing the declaration, countries 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”.
 
To help these High Burden High Impact (HBHI) countries achieve their commitments and accelerate action, the RBM Partnership is convening parliamentarians, opinion leaders and civil society at a parallel regional malaria forum, continuing until tomorrow, 7 March 2024, to co-develop a SMART action plan and a robust monitoring and accountability mechanism. As part of the forum, African leaders will focus on ensuring the mobilization of domestic funds and community commitment to the elimination of the disease following the conference of Health Ministers. Participants have also been undergoing training on the strategies, existing tools and funding for malaria control.
 
The RBM Partnership is committed to driving tangible, coordinated action towards malaria elimination and increasing understanding of how this goal can be reached. Working alongside partners such as the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Impact Santé, the partnership helps to raise awareness of the disease through education initiatives. It further collaborates with organisations on the ground in endemic countries to implement effective malaria strategies that are grounded in
community-level support and action.
 
Dr Michael Charles, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria comments:

"This declaration marks an important milestone in the fight against malaria, not only for the countries     involved but for the whole world. If we are able to make significant reductions to malaria  case  numbers and deaths in these High Burden High Impact countries, we will be far closer to   eliminating   this disease globally.” 
  “Collaboration plays a crucial role in promoting a coordinated African response to malaria, and we’re       delighted to be working alongside partners to convene key decision makers to translate the     Yaoundé  Declaration into a concrete action plan that will enable these countries to quickly accelerate     anti-malaria activities, stay accountable, and meet the commitments they have just made.”
 
Many countries worldwide are making progress against malaria, and, at the start of 2021, Cabo Verde became the most recent to be officially certified malaria-free by WHO. However, overall, since 2017, progress in the fight against malaria has stalled, and today, half of the world’s population is thought to be at risk of the disease. Biological threats and climate change are increasing the malaria challenge, and current investment levels and coverage of malaria interventions will not be sufficient to achieve
the 2025 Global Technical Strategy for malaria (GTS) milestones of a 75% reduction in mortality rates and case incidence. Progress towards the corresponding 3rd Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2030 targets is also off track.
 
Along with current tools - such as vector controls, preventive chemotherapies and vaccines – this declaration, together with its resulting action plan and accountability mechanism, represent an important step in the fight against malaria. With a combination of efforts, it will be possible to lower malaria case incidence and significantly reduce mortality in these HBHI countries, and minimise the global threat.