Africa Faces Widening Malaria Funding Gap, Threatening Elimination Progress

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have sounded the alarm over a significant and growing funding deficit for malaria control efforts across Africa. This alarming trend jeopardizes years of progress toward eradicating the disease and poses a severe threat to public health security on the continent.

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Africa remains the global epicentre of malaria despite years of intervention.

Africa remains the epicenter of the global malaria burden, accounting for approximately 96% of all cases and 97% of deaths. The statistics are stark: an estimated 270 million cases and 580,000 deaths annually, with children under five bearing the brunt, representing 75% of fatalities. Malaria in pregnancy is also a persistent concern, affecting millions of women each year.

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About one billion people across 46 countries in Africa are exposed to malaria, with children under five accounting for 75 per cent of deaths.

While global interventions have averted millions of cases and deaths since 2015, progress in Africa has faltered. This stagnation is attributed to a confluence of factors, including fragile health systems, underutilization of preventive measures, the escalating impacts of climate change, and the emergence of drug and insecticide resistance. The widening funding gap, which has more than doubled from $2.6 billion in 2019 to $5.4 billion in 2024, underscores the urgent need for increased and sustainable investment.

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The malaria funding gap has widened significantly from $2.6 billion in 2019 to $5.4 billion in 2024.

The Africa CDC's Primary Health Care Transformation Framework offers a strategic roadmap, emphasizing workforce development, infrastructure enhancement, commodity security, robust financing, and improved governance. The framework advocates for the expansion of community health workers and the deployment of digital surveillance systems to bolster early detection and treatment at the grassroots level. This integrated approach, centered on strengthening Primary Health Care, is viewed as the most effective platform for accelerating malaria control and elimination initiatives across Africa.

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Strong PHC systems remain the backbone of malaria elimination across the continent.