Africa health coalition takes lead on malaria fight

The African Business Coalition for Health (ABCHealth) has been appointed as the new secretariat for the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA), leading the fight against the epidemic.

The organisation takes on stewardship of CAMA from the Global Business Coalition for Health (GBCHealth) in New York, focusing on mobilising the private sector to drive impactful partnerships for malaria control and elimination in workplaces and communities.

It will foster opportunities for the private sector engagement with governments, NGOs, academia, and other sectors to scale impact in the fight against malaria.

As the new secretariat for CAMA, ABCHealth will build on the successes achieved over the past 17 years, providing value to its members in relevance and scaled impact in the fight against malaria, the organisation stated in an official statement to BusinessDay.

“The appointment is a key milestone in GBCHealth’s plan to transition its work to being fully African-led. Placing the leadership and management of CAMA within ABCHealth is a testament to its theory of change in cultivating partnerships and mobilising private sector resources to improve healthcare in Africa and change the way it works,” the statement reads.

“The new charge to lead CAMA and its esteemed member organisations, as well as the wider Malaria ecosystem to collaboratively control and eventually eliminate malaria across the continent is a responsibility ABCHealth is proud to take on.”

ABCHealth works closely with Africa’s private sector leaders and global organisations to help improve the health and well-being of all Africans.

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, founder of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation and chairman of ABCHealth, said the current challenges facing Africa’s healthcare and its disproportionate disease burden reinforces the strong business case for private sector engagement in health.

He expects the transition of CAMA to ABCHealth to provide further opportunities for partners in both public and private sectors to collaborate towards improved health outcomes across Africa.

Zouera Youssoufou, CEO of Aliko Dangote Foundation and ABCHealth board director, commending the move, said expectations are high on the potential to scale up the impact of CAMA in Africa now that the organisation will be fully led by Africans.

Mories Atok, CEO of ABCHealth said: “Our Coalition is fully committed to moving CAMA further. We recognise the impact of members’ activities and look forward to working with all of them as well as with new members in the coming year and beyond. We recognise the unwavering support of CAMA’s Leadership Council (Access Bank, Chevron, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and ExxonMobil) during this transition and their continued commitment to the Alliance’s goal of a Malaria-free Africa.”

Lesley-Anne Long, erstwhile president and chief executive officer of GBCHealth, said CAMA has been one of GBCHealth’s flagship programmes for more than 15 years, and “we are delighted that its impactful work will continue through ABCHealth”.