Every time we visit a clinic in Ghana or in Niger, we see mothers cradling feverish children, waiting for a malaria test. Some will recover. Too many won’t. This month, as we mark World Malaria Day (April 25th), we’re reminded that while the world moved on from COVID-19, malaria never left. It’s still here, stealing lives, draining economies, and holding back our continent.
Five years ago, the world came to a standstill because of COVID-19. Borders closed, economies shuddered, and for the first time in a while, wealthy nations felt the threat of an unchecked pandemic. At that moment, global health became a priority. But today, as the world returns to “business as usual,” other health crises persist: TB, HIV, malaria, and others.
Malaria still kills over 600,000 people a year, most of them African children under five. We have the tools to end this suffering, with life-saving nets, rapid diagnostics, effective treatments, and more recently, a vaccine. Yet progress is stalling. Why? Because financial priorities change, and health is usually the first area to be defunded. Especially when the health threats are contained in certain areas of the world. We know from experience that it is a mistake.
When it comes to malaria, the risk is never contained. With the climate changing, the distribution and geographic range of mosquitoes can expand, leading to increases in both people who are exposed to malaria and the frequency of disease outbreaks.
But this trajectory is preventable. With political will and adequate funding, we can tackle and prevent the expansion of malaria, and end it for good.
This year, as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) prepares for its replenishment, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The Fund has been a lifeline, supporting nearly two-thirds of all malaria financing in Africa. But with donor countries cutting aid, we cannot rely on goodwill alone. A fully replenished Global Fund is crucial, and it is the first step.
The hard truth? International funding is unpredictable. With the current multicrises, donor countries are looking inwards, and we must reignite and reimagine the malaria response.
Malaria still holds countries back from reaching their full potential. When countries don’t have to spend funds on a preventable and treatable illness, they are better able to play a role in a flourishing and prosperous global economy and society. Yet many of our governments still spend less on health than they did two decades ago (as a share of budgets).
Moreover, eliminating malaria generates dividends, not only for the endemic countries. Analysis by Oxford Economics shows that reaching the SDG targets set for malaria would unlock billions in GDP and trade, benefiting both donor and endemic country economies. Reaching the SDG target of 90% reduction in malaria globally, would yield:
● A boost to the GDP of all malaria-endemic countries in Africa of $126.9 billion
● A boost to all malaria-endemic countries’ GDP globally of $142.7 billion
● A boost to international trade of $80.7 billion
● A boost for G7 country exports to key malaria-endemic African countries of $3.9 billion
This World Malaria Day, we call on leaders to keep pushing and to walk the talk. We saw remarkable progress and we know we can end malaria, but we still need sustained funding for programs, from both domestic resources and international donors and for that, we need the political will to match our ambition with action.
Five years from now, when we are supposed to reach the SDGs, we could look back and say: This was the year we took charge and invested in our own future.
By Cecilia Senoo and Hamza Djibo
Cecilia Senoo is from Ghana, and she is the Executive Director of Hope for Future Generations.
Hamza Djibo is from Niger, and he is the Executive Director of ESCAVI (Éducation, Santé et Amélioration du Cadre de Vie)
Both are community leaders and board members of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria
