Press Release

African leaders launch new, continent-wide campaign for a malaria-free Africa

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Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaign empowers Africans to take a stand in the fight against the deadly disease.

Monday 2 July 2018 – Today marks the launch of Zero Malaria Starts with Me, a continent-wide campaign
co-led by the African Union Commission and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and supported by
African leaders, that will get more people involved in the fight against the disease that kills over 400,000
Africans every year.

Following reports that malaria cases have increased for the first time in more than a decade, Zero Malaria
Starts with Me seeks to reignite a society-wide movement to get back on track efforts that contributed to a
60% decline in cases and saved an estimated 7 million lives since 2000, and to help meet the goal of
eliminating malaria across Africa by 2030.

The campaign, unveiled Sunday during the AIDS Watch Africa Meeting at the 31st African Union Summit by
President Macky Sall of Senegal and King Mswati III of Eswatini and endorsed by 55 (TBC) African Heads of
State and Government today, empowers communities to take greater ownership of malaria prevention and
care, and to mobilise additional resources for the effort.

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Chair of the African Union, says: “The African continent accounts for over 90% of the global malaria burden. It is in this context that we have launched the “Zero Malaria Starts with Me” campaign, a continent-wide public-facing campaign for a malaria-free Africa. The campaign will reignite grassroot movements in which individuals, families, communities, religious leaders, private sector, political leaders, and other members of society pledge to take responsibility in the fight against malaria.”

Inspired by Senegal’s nationwide campaign of the same name launched in 2014, Zero Malaria Starts with
Me is now being rolled out across the African continent to encourage all citizens – political, business,
community and religious leaders, as well as individuals, families and communities – to make a personal
commitment to ending malaria for good.

To date, over 20 African nations have committed to join in supporting the campaign, with presidents of
Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique already launching nationwide campaigns that include large-scale bed
net distribution drives to establishing high-level national End Malaria Councils and parliamentary groups
on malaria. Others, including the First Ladies of Ghana and Niger, have pledged to do more to engage
leaders and communities to fight malaria in their countries.

President Macky Sall of Senegal comments: “In my country, malaria has long been a major public health concern threatening the socio-economic development and structural transformation trajectory that has put our country on a firm path to sustainable development. It is through national ownership, shared responsibility and global solidarity that we can defeat malaria for good.”

HM King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini, Chair of the African Leaders’ Malaria Alliance, says:
“This campaign further reinvigorates our commitment to eliminate malaria in Africa as we now call upon all
our people at all levels to work with us in ridding our continent of this scourge. I urge all governments to
invest more in fighting the disease, however the success of this campaign will depend on partnerships and
on collaboration across sectors and amongst our population, for as government, we cannot win this fight
against malaria alone.”

The campaign offers simple tools to increase community participation in malaria elimination efforts, keep
pressure up on leaders to stay committed to ending the disease, and forge new partnerships that can
contribute additional funding that will increase access to treatment, improve diagnosis and prevention
against the deadly disease. Campaign resources are provided via a Zero Malaria Starts with Me toolkit
available at www.zeromalaria.africa

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