Africa's example to end malaria

Despite being preventable and curable, malaria has continued to claim African lives. In 2023, the continent accounted for about 95% of the 597,000 deaths from malaria worldwide, 76% of which were children under the age of five.

- JEAN KASEYA

But eliminating this scourge, which impedes development goals and realisation of the African Union's Agenda 2063, is within reach. Nine AU member countries — Algeria, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Lesotho, Libya, Mauritius, Morocco, the Seychelles and Tunisia — have become malaria-free, owing to sustained political commitment and well-targeted public investment in primary health care and disease surveillance and case management. African countries with a higher malaria burden should heed their example.

Algeria, for example, invested in effective vector control through indoor residual spraying, universal healthcare access for malaria diagnosis and treatment and rapid outbreak-response mechanisms. Cabo Verde’s strategic malaria-elimination plan involved a multisectoral approach, whereby the government worked closely with local communities and international organisations. Egypt's multipronged strategy included, among other things, robust training programmes for primary health workers. Implementing these coordinated interventions required the political will and, crucially, increased domestic financing.