Zambia joined the rest of the world in the commemoration of the World Malaria Day, which falls on 25th April every year. The End Malaria Council participated in the commemoration, under the theme “Time to deliver zero malaria… “invest, innovate. Implement”. The commemoration was held in Chililabombwe- a town bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo. The event was graced by the Minister of the Copperbelt province, Honourable Elisha Matambo.
On this day, Zambia joined the global malaria community in committing to the malaria fight; calling on leaders to deliver on commitments and ensure existing investments deliver impact and extend the reach; Innovate by celebrating the research community’s innovation and call for further investment to deliver transformative and improved tools and implement by supporting communities to adopt innovative techniques and deliver tools and treatments to those most in need.
The event was also attended by representatives from all the major partners in the malaria fight, such as Government / public sector, private and community leaders. Among the partners present were WHO, USAID-PMI,PATH, Rotary Zambia, World Vision, just to mention but a few. The private sector partners included First Quantum Minerals Limited (FQML), Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), while the Faith Leader Advocacy for Malaria Elimination (FLAME) represented the religious leaders. Traditional leaders were represented by Chief Nkambo of Copperbelt province.
The WHO pledged continued support towards reaching the two critical targets for malaria contained in the Global technical strategy (2016-2030), namely: (1) reducing global malaria case incidence by 90% or more by 2030; and (2) reducing the global malaria mortality rate by 90% or more by 2030.
USAID was also represented by the Deputy Mission Director, who highlighted some of the commitments through PMI and other programs in Zambia.
