Libreville, 1 August 2022 - This Monday, the technical meeting of the heads of the National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCP) of the 11 Member States of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) was launched in Libreville to develops the scorecard, which is a tool for monitoring management and accountability for action within the framework of the Regional Plan for Malaria Eradication by 2030.

 

This meeting organised by the ECCAS Commission in collaboration with its partners including the Alliance of African Heads of States for Malaria Elimination (ALMA), the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has the following objectives a) propose indicators for monitoring malaria control and elimination in the ECCAS region; b) review the indicators selected for inclusion in the scorecard; c) discuss modalities for reporting through data collection at country and regional levels and; d) define a roadmap for next steps.

 

In his opening remarks, Dr Charles PALUKU, ALMA Senior Technical Advisor for Malaria Control, Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, explained that the "Malaria Scorecard" will regularly inform senior officials, especially the Heads of State of the sub-region on the status of progress made with actions to be taken for the elimination of malaria in the countries of the sub-region by 2030.

 

The official opening speech of Her Excellency Mrs. Yvette-Kapinga NGANDU, Commissioner in charge of the Department of Gender Promotion, Human and Social Development at the ECCAS Commission, was read by Dr. Ludovic FIOMONA TAMADEA, Coordinator of the Project for the Strengthening of Regional Disease Surveillance Systems in Central Africa (REDISSE IV). Dr FIOMONA recalled that the burden of malaria has still reached unacceptable levels with the convergence of several factors; this represents an additional challenge to the efforts to control the disease.

 

All of sub-Saharan Africa, including the 11 ECCAS member states, continues to pay the highest price in terms of morbidity and mortality, accounting for more than 80% of malaria deaths worldwide, with one child under the age of 5 dying every minute.

 

It is for this reason that the ECCAS Commission has benefited from the support of the World Health Organisation and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between ECCAS and ALMA for the elaboration of a Regional Strategic Plan for Accelerating Malaria Elimination in Central Africa by 2030; which plan was amended with all the countries of the ECCAS sub-region on 11 May 2022.

 

 

Also, the operationalisation of the Central African Health Organisation (CAHO) which is a Will of the Heads of States and Governments, materialised by the Decision No 16/CEEAC/CCEG/XIX/21 of 30 June 2021, with the signature of the Headquarters Agreement of the institution last May in Malabo in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea represents an adequate framework for the follow-up of the use of the scorecard in the ECCAS sub-region among its attributions.

 

The first day was devoted to

 

- The general overview of the malaria situation in the ECCAS region;

- The introduction of the Scorecard to the participants;

- The ECCAS health information system being put in place;

- The selection of indicators and their justification during the group work.

 

It should be recalled that this meeting was organised in line with the roadmap of the current President of ECCAS, H.E. Felix Antoine TSHISEKEDI TSHILOMBO, whose term of office is devoted to health, among other themes, as well as within the framework of the implementation of the recommendations of the meeting of 11 May 2022 on the technical adoption of the Regional Plan for the Elimination of Malaria 2022 - 2026