African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) Convenes during African Union Summit
Leaders Unite to Defeat Malaria

 February 1, 2010—African Leaders will gather during the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania convenes the first working session of African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA). Heads of State from 26 African countries will work through challenges and highlight progress to date in the effort meet the United Nations goal of ending  malaria deaths by 2015 by first ensuring universal access to malaria control interventions by December 31, 2010. 
 
Interim Executive Director of ALMA, Joy Phumaphi, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers, and other partners will participate.

 “When African leaders issued the Abuja Declaration over ten years ago, we committed to reversing the course of malaria,” said President Jakaya Kikwete, “ Indeed, significant progress has been realized, and today, members of ALMA amplify that declaration, using our collective platform to maximize the potentials of our malaria control plans, and protect all Africans from malaria.”

Africa’s leaders are joining together to defeat malaria because the disease represents one of the biggest health and economic challenges to Africa.  As a major killer of children, malaria accounts for one quarter of all deaths of children under-five years in Africa.  Fifty million pregnant women are also affected by malaria, accounting for ten percent of maternal mortality annually.  Malaria is a major economic burden in Africa, accounting for as much as 40% of health care spending in endemic countries, and costing the continent $12 billion a year. 

“By collaborating through ALMA and joining together to defeat this deadly disease, Africa’s leaders are reaping tremendous benefits in cost-savings, efficiencies, and sharing of best practices—all of which will translate into millions of lives saved,” said Ray Chambers, The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria. “The world is closer than ever before to ending malaria deaths, and in the remaining year until the Secretary-General’s deadline to ensure that all people at risk are protected from the disease, African leadership has the greatest authority to ensure the realization of these goals.”

Achieving these goals requires protecting the 700 million people in malaria-endemic environments in sub-Saharan Africa, the population that accounts for virtually all malaria mortality. In the past 12 months alone, at least 90 million long-lasting, insecticidal mosquito nets (LLINs) were delivered in Africa.  Overall, 200 million LLINs have been distributed to 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, reaching about 60 percent of the population at risk. The 2009 World Malaria Report, released by the World Health Organization demonstrates that these gains are translating into lives saved, as it indicates that more than one-third of the world’s malarious countries have documented reductions in malaria cases of more than 50% .

ALMA was launched during the United Nations General Assembly in September, 2009 to provide African leaders with a high level forum to ensure efficient procurement, distribution, and utilization of malaria control interventions; facilitate the sharing of effective malaria control practices; and ensure that malaria remains high on the global policy agenda.   ALMA has the support of 26 African nations, which are committed to reaching the Secretary-General’s goal of providing universal access to malaria control interventions by the end of 2010, with the ultimate goal of ending malaria deaths by 2015.

                                                        ###