Seven African countries lead the continent in malaria control

Annual awards – bestowed at the AU – highlight how Africa’s future
is inextricably tied to progress in defeating malaria

Yesterday, during the official opening of the African Union Summit of heads of state, H.E. Armando Guebuza, President of Mozambique, conferred the 2014 African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) Awards for Excellence in Vector Control to Cape Verde, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Swaziland. Each country has demonstrated exemplary leadership in maintaining at least 95% coverage year round of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN) and/or Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) interventions, the most important tools in preventing malaria.  

Malaria is a leading cause of child deaths and kills 627,000 people every year, most in Africa. The continent has made tremendous progress in the delivery and use of life-saving tools in the fight against malaria, including LLINs, IRS, rapid diagnostic tests, and effective treatments, including preventative care during pregnancy.

Yet malaria continues to wreak a huge toll on Africa.  It burdens already fragile health systems; it is a leading cause of absenteeism in schools; it negatively impacts agricultural productivity and businesses large and small when employees and entrepreneurs are kept from their work; and it robs African countries of at least USD $12 billion every year in economic potential. 

“We cannot lose ground in our struggle to end preventable deaths and suffering from malaria” said President Guebuza, who serves as  Chair of ALMA. “Our people and our communities are counting on us to continue to scale proven interventions to insure that no African loses their livelihood or life to this ancient disease.”

Last month, the World Malaria Report declared that as a result of significant scaling-up of malaria control interventions, an estimated 3.1 million lives have been saved in Africa since 2000, reducing malaria mortality rates by 49%. And while funding challenges remain, resources for malaria prevention globally have grown from $100 million in 2000 to an estimated $1.9 billion in 2013.  ALMA’s current Chair, H. E. President Guebuza of Mozambique, has rallied his peers and partners to increase malaria funding so that we sustain these impressive gains.

ALMA was founded by H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania to create a platform for Africa’s presidents and prime ministers to accelerate action on malaria prevention and control. ALMA’s second chair, H.E. President Ellen Sirleaf of Liberia, continued to promote performance and accountability through the innovative ALMA Scorecard for Accountability and Action. Winners of ALMA’s Awards for Excellence are selected by an independent committee representing the World Health Organization (WHO), Roll Back Malaria (RBM), the private sector, civil society and academia.  For more information about ALMA and for a profile of the progress shown by the seven winning countries, please visit www.alma2015.org.

Contact:

Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur

Saleemah@alma2015.org

+251 939 643 193                                         

NEPAD: Africa needs ‘informed citizens’

Ochieng’ Ogodo

Journalist-Kenya

[NAIROBI] Well informed citizens of Africa will bring about positive developmental transformations needed in the continent. The media has, therefore, been urged to partner with development institutions such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) to help achieve that.

Speaking to media managers at a breakfast meeting in Johannesburg today, the Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD, Ibrahim Mayaki, said it was important for development issues to be well articulated and understood, so that Africa’s citizens can take part and support processes that leads to the development of their societies.

Mayaki, who is the former Prime Minister of Niger, says that NEPAD has achieved great strides in the implementation of its various projects, but there is now a need for Africa to tap into its own resources to finance its development goals.

He adds that that there is need for stronger collaboration between the public and private sector.

The event was attended by senior editors among them Essop Pahad, editor of The Thinker Publication and a former Minister in President Thabo Mbeki’s Administration and others from local and international media.

The NEPAD CEO cautions that despite six of the ten fastest growing economies being in Africa, seven out of ten of the most unequal economies are also in Africa.

“If we want to address social inequalities and create wealth for Africa, the issue we need to look at is Governance. The way we govern has to reflect the realistic needs of our people, many youth, who make up a vast percentage of Africa’s population,” says Mayaki.

He cites Tunisia saying that despite high literacy levels, infrastructure development and agricultural-led growth, youth unemployment was one of the main triggers of the Arab revolution.

"We need to make sure that governance is no longer a top-down process. We need to re-think governance, bearing in mind that Africa has the most youthful population in the world.  Africa cannot be managed like Europe, where the average age is 49, in Africa it is 19,” he says.

“African leaders are obliged to tackle the issue of illicit money flows out of the Continent,” he says. This would cost the continent US$40 billion every year and help reduce Africa’s dependency on aid, which currently stands at US$20 billion of Official Development Assistance (ODA) annually.

Responding to media on what NEPAD is doing to create youth employment, attract private sector investment and accelerate sustainable economic growth on the continent; Mayaki said that, “As the African Union’s technical body, NEPAD’s role is to be a vehicle that will boost regional integration through continental programmes such as the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).”

He also notes that the upcoming Dakar Financing Summit in December, which NEPAD is co-hosting with the Government of Senegal, will bring together Africa’s most influential leaders from government, industry and finance to accelerate investment into infrastructure.

New European association for lung cancer patients launched

By Ochieng' Ogodo

Journalist-Kenya

[NAIROBI] A new European association for lung cancer patients has been formed.  Lung Cancer Europe (LuCE) was established on 27 September to bring about improvements in lung cancer outcomes for all European patients and to help improve the quality of life for the many thousands of patients and survivors living with lung cancer in Europe today.

For the first time lung cancer patients, survivors and their families will have a voice at a European level which will enable them to influence policy decisions that impact on European lung cancer outcomes.  This is critically important because there are significant problems with lung cancer outcomes across Europe. Lung cancer accounts for one fifth of all cancer deaths in Europe today.  It is the commonest cause of death from cancer in European men and is the third most common cause of death in women. Nearly every minute a European citizen is told that they have lung cancer and every hour 40 Europeans die of this terrible disease. Moreover, there is evidence to show worrying inequalities in lung cancer control between EU Member States with data showing that the lung cancer mortality rate in men is over three times as high in the worst performing Member State as compared with the best.

LuCE has a mission to improve lung cancer outcomes and address the unacceptable inequities in lung cancer survival across Europe.  “With LuCE we want to create a European platform that gives a strong voice to lung cancer patient organisations in Europe – and we want to support the establishment of national patient groups in countries, where such groups do not yet exist. We wish to raise awareness about inequities regarding the access to lung cancer treatment and care in Europe. And we will work for improving European policies and increasing funding allocated to lung cancer research. Last but not least, we hope that the association can help to reduce the stigmatisation of lung cancer patients," Mogens Ekelund, representative of the LuCE Steering Committee explains.

LuCE is a non-profit association that has been established with support from the European Thoracic Oncology Platform and the European School of Oncology.

FAO Launches World Food Day Media Award in Kenya

The award aims at recognising outstanding contributions to food security by the Kenyan media

By Ochieng’ Ogodo

Journalist-Nairobi

[NAIROBI] The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has launched the World Food Day Media Award. It was launched in Kenya on 9 August.

The award is aimed at creating and encouraging the highest standards of excellence in agricultural reporting focusing on food and agricultural issues and honour Kenyan journalists under 30 for their exceptional journalistic work in covering the area.

The award will be will be one of the build-up activities towards this year’s World Food Day to be commemorated on 16 October.

The official World Food Day theme this year is “Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition”.

About 870 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished and unsustainable models of development are degrading services providing natural environment. This is threatening ecosystems and biodiversity needed for our future food supply. There have been numerous calls for radical shift in our agriculture and food systems.

World Food Day offers an opportunity to explore and reflect on how to bring about the future we want.

It is against this backdrop that FAO in Kenya has decided to recognise outstanding contributions made by the media in Kenya.

Journalists have a vital role to play in promoting understanding of food and agricultural issues among the public, especially on challenges related to food security.

“They can help by educating their communities, so that their audiences are aware of the issues affecting food security,” says Robert Allport, FAO Representative in Kenya.

The World Food Day Media Award in Kenya is open to those under 30 years, and is designed to elevate the standards of excellence in print media and offer winners a boost in marketing and exposure.

The award places a premium on compelling stories occurring in Kenya that report problems and solutions related to food security.

FAO says online applications are now open for submission and will close on 30 September midnight, East African time. There will be several prizes.

 For more on World Food Day 2013 visit http://www.fao.org/getinvolved/worldfoodday/en/

Better healthcare and community mobilisation saves mothers and newborns

By Ochieng’ Ogodo

Journalist-Kenya

[NAIROBI] A combination of better healthcare and community mobilisation can improve the quality of care for mothers and newborns and also reduce newborn mortality, says a new study

The five-year programme conducted in Malawi to improve the quality of care for mothers and newborns found that it reduced newborn mortality by 30 percent and saved at least 1,000 newborn lives in rural area.

Carried out in three rural districts in Malawi with a combined population of more than two million, the study was designed to test whether a combined effort to increase both community awareness and strategies for perinatal care and to improve the quality of healthcare would be more effective than either one

Africa, China in new partnership for health

By Ochieng’ Ogodo

Journalist-Kenya

[GABORONE, BOTSWANA] Chinese and African leaders meeting at the high level 4th International Roundtable on China-Africa Health Cooperation on May 6 and 7 emphasised the need for close cooperation in a new partnerships aimed at addressing some of the most pressing health challenges facing Africa.
They also called for strong innovative health partnership based on south-south cooperation.
“Indeed, China and Africa have a long history of collaborating on health, built on shared challenges, experiences and addressing similar issues,” said Hon. Rev. Dr. John G. N. Seakgosing, Botswana’s Minister of Health. “China has a unique role in supporting African health progress. And with this roundtable, we look forward to deepening our partnership to benefit the health of our citizens.”
“Africa’s future is closely linked with our own and improving health is a critical building block towards a common prosperity,” said Dr. Ren Minghui, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation at China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission. “African countries have made tremendous gains to improve the health of their citizens. With China and Africa working hand-in-hand on health, we can have even greater impact.”
The Botswana roundtable was the first to take place on the African continent and focused on promoting sustainable health solutions that meet the needs and priorities of African countries, and draw on China’s experience.
The meeting explored how China and African countries can jointly tackle critical issues such as AIDS, malaria, schistosomiasis, reproductive health, access to lifesaving vaccines and non-communicable diseases.

This roundtable came as China and Africa marked the 50th anniversary of China providing medical teams to Africa, and also supporting African health personnel, infrastructure, malaria control and other programs such as scholarships for training health experts.

At this year’s roundtable, officials have discussed how to shape health cooperation between China and Africa and help achieve long-term, sustainable gains, such as strengthening health systems and addressing the shortage of healthcare workers.
African countries are disproportionately affected by these health issues that have also been a major health challenges for China.

The key theme of the roundtable was on how African and Chinese officials can create win-win scenarios that will benefit all partners. One of the major areas that China’s health assistance investment will go to is expanding African capacity, strengthening the continent’s self-sufficiency and economic development.
China, according to Minghui, has a unique role in supporting Africa’s health progress, drawing from its investments in health research and development and its experience improving the health of its own citizens, such as its current health reform effort, which is the largest expansion of healthcare coverage in history.
African countries, the meeting heard, can work with Chinese scientists and pharmaceutical manufacturers to increase access to high-quality, low-cost health technologies, while ensuring products are safe and meet international quality standards.
Participants explored how China can help support Africa’s local production of health products. At the same time, African leaders will share expertise on areas where China can learn from Africa, such as around AIDS prevention and treatment, to help improve China’s efforts at home. Africa has been very successful in scaling up HIV treatment as well as prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs.
“South-South cooperation facilitates optimisation of resources, both human and material. This creates opportunities to share knowledge and experience, which contributes to sustainable health solutions,” said Dr. Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, Commissioner of Social Affairs of the African Union. “China-Africa health partnership is based on a sense of shared responsibility and global solidarity in responding to health challenges.”

China and other emerging economies are bringing new resources and approaches to improve the health of people around the world. “The global health landscape is changing, with more partners than ever joining these efforts,” said Dr. Luiz Loures, Deputy Executive Director of Programme of UNAIDS. “The AIDS response and other experiences paved the way for transformative progress on health and can help China and Africa engage on a whole new level and innovate on a broad range of health issues.”

“China has tremendous potential to support Africa’s long-term development by leveraging innovation. The roundtable is an opportunity to define a path for China and Africa to make a positive impact together on health,” Dr. Ray Yip, Director of the China Program of the Gates Foundation told the meeting.
One aim of the roundtable was to develop joint recommendations that could lay the groundwork for a long-term strategic plan for China-Africa health cooperation, which could be considered at the Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development, part of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which will take place in August in Beijing.

This year’s roundtable organised by the Institute for Global Health and the China Institute of International Studies, is a series in what began in 2009 as part of a China-led initiative to evaluate and improve its foreign assistance.

CPJ calls on African Union to uphold press freedom

New York, May 2, 2013-The Committee to Protect Journalists asks Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, chairperson of the African Union, to uphold press freedom by calling for justice in journalist murders in Africa and for the release of all imprisoned journalists.

May 2, 2013

H.E. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma
Chairperson of the African Union
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Dear Chairperson Zuma:

We ask that you mark World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2013, by calling for the release of all journalists imprisoned in Africa and appealing for justice in the murders of journalists killed in the line of duty.

At least 41 African journalists will spend World Press Freedom Day imprisoned in direct reprisal for their work, according to CPJ research. It is particularly disturbing that Ethiopia and the Gambia, which host offices of the African Union, are among the nations holding journalists in jail. These imprisonments have silenced important voices, often in contravention of regional and international rulings.

Among the seven journalists imprisoned in Ethiopia is Reeyot Alemu, who is serving a five-year term at Kality Prison on baseless terrorism charges lodged after she wrote columns critical of the government. Reeyot was honored in 2013 with the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize, and in 2012 with the Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation. The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, among other international institutions, have censured Ethiopia for the imprisonment of Reeyot and other journalists under the country's overly broad anti-terrorism law. Eskinder Nega, a 2012 laureate of PEN American Center's Freedom to Write Award, has been imprisoned since September 2011 on fabricated terrorism charges after writing columns discussing the domestic implications of the Arab Spring. The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that Ethiopia has violated international law by imprisoning Eskinder for the "peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression." He is serving an 18-year term in prison. The Gambia, home to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, is in violation of rulings by the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States and the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in connection with the 2007 arrest of journalist Ebrima "Chief" Manneh. These entities found Manneh's detention to be unlawful, and they called for his immediate release. Alarmingly, Gambian authorities cannot account for Manneh's whereabouts, and over the years have given evasive and inconsistent responses to regional and international inquiries.

More than 80 journalist murders have gone unsolved in Africa since 1992, according to CPJ research. Nigeria and Somalia are among the worst nations in the world in combating deadly, anti-press violence, our 2013 Impunity Index has found. Five journalists have been killed with impunity in Nigeria since 2009. In Somalia, more than 20 murders have gone unsolved over the past decade. These killings are often politically motivated.

Madame chair, critical journalists are not criminals, traitors, or terrorists. Beyond supporting African journalists with training, the African Union should create an open political space that allows news media to report on issues of public interest. Vibrant, independent media that hold government leaders to account are a valuable ally in the pursuit of development and good governance. We urge you to use your office to persuade member states to comply with the letter and spirit of conventions they have signed that uphold press freedom.

Yours sincerely,

Joel Simon
Executive Director

 CPJ is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.