Ecobank Plc is spearheading efforts to rally businesses across Africa to eradicate malaria from the continent.

Known as the Zero Malaria Business Leaders Initiative, the project aims to significantly reduce the malaria burden in affected countries.

In 2022 alone, an estimated 249 million malaria cases were reported across 85 countries where malaria is endemic.

Shockingly, the disease claimed the lives of over 600,000 individuals, as reported by the WHO.

Ghana, for instance, recorded approximately 11,557 deaths from malaria, although only 151 were officially documented.

In collaboration with Speak Up Africa, the National Malaria Elimination Programme, and other partners, Ecobank Ghana officially launched the Zero Malaria Business Leadership Initiative (ZMBLI) in Ghana in 2023, under the auspices of the Ministry of Health.

Ghana joined Senegal, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Benin in this initiative.

The aim in Ghana is to bolster ongoing efforts by both the government and private sector, such as the Private Sector Malaria Prevention Program (2014-2017) and the Zero Malaria Starts With Me Campaign (April 2019 – present).

During discussions held in Lome, Ecobank and its partners explored strategies for leveraging ZMBLI to encourage private sector involvement in malaria elimination, establish a network of private sector champions, and enhance national coordination mechanisms.

According to the World Malaria Report 2022, over 95% of the 619,000 global malaria deaths occurred in Africa. Alarmingly, children under the age of five accounted for approximately 76% of these deaths, equating to one child succumbing to malaria every two minutes on average.

Vaccine Intervention

Since 2019, Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi have been administering the malaria vaccine RTS, S/AS01 (RTS,S) through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, coordinated by the WHO and funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Following the WHO's recommendation for the use of RTS,S in October 2021, at least 28 countries in the WHO African Region have expressed interest in introducing the malaria vaccine, with 18 countries approved to receive support for vaccine rollout after submitting applications to Gavi.

Malaria Diagnosis and Treatment

Globally, between 2010 and 2022, manufacturers sold 3.9 billion rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria, with 82% of these sales occurring in sub-Saharan African countries.

In 2022, 415.5 million RDTs were sold globally, with 345 million distributed in sub-Saharan Africa.

Moreover, between 2010 and 2022, more than four billion treatment courses of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) were delivered by manufacturers, with 2.7 billion delivered to the public sector in malaria-endemic countries.

In 2022, some 210 million ACTs were delivered to the public health sector, with 217 million distributed by National Malaria Programmes (NMPs), predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite efforts, household surveys conducted in sub-Saharan Africa from 2005 to 2022 revealed stagnant prevalence rates of fever and treatment-seeking behaviours.

However, there was an increase in the utilisation of public health facilities for treatment, suggesting improved access to healthcare services.

Moreover, the rate of diagnosis among children under five years old with fever and for whom care was sought improved significantly, indicating progress in case management despite challenges in diagnostic services.