African Parliamentarians unite to end Malaria

In a landmark move to reignite political leadership in the fight against malaria, Parliamentarians from 16 African countries gathered in Accra, Ghana, on 28–29 April 2025 to officially launch COPEMA: the Coalition of Parliamentarians to End Malaria in Africa.

Held one year after the African Ministerial Yaoundé Declaration, the launch marks a critical moment for the continent as it faces rising challenges: declining international aid, growing insecticide and drug resistance, and persistent funding gaps threatening malaria control and elimination progress.

The two-day high-level forum brought together parliamentarians, national malaria control program (NMCP) managers from 15 countries, global and regional malaria experts, civil society actors, and development partners. Institutions represented included the Ghana Ministry of Health, the Pan-African Parliament, Africa CDC, the Global Fund, WHO, RBM Partnership to End Malaria, Impact Santé Afrique, Afrika Kwanza Health Impact, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, and CS4ME members such as Hope for Future Generations.

The dialogue underscored a growing consensus: to end malaria, political leadership must drive domestic resource mobilization, leverage new innovations in malaria prevention, and ensure that interventions are context-specific, data-driven, and equitably delivered.

“The launch of COPEMA is not just symbolic, it marks the beginning of a concrete political movement,” said Honorable Santa Okot of Uganda, Co-Chair of COPEMA. “We are committed to holding our governments accountable and ensuring malaria financing is prioritized in national budgets” added Honorable Njume Peter of Cameroon, COPEMA Co-chair.

Parliamentarians pledged to work closely with the National Malaria Control Programmes and Civil Society to increase malaria funding in Africa.

After the forum, Parliamentarians adopted the Accra Parliamentarian Declaration, a unified call to action for increased domestic financing, strengthened accountability mechanisms, and enhanced collaboration with NMCPs and civil society.

This Declaration also calls on governments to urgently integrate malaria funding into national budgets. With over 600,000 malaria deaths annually—95% in Africa, it emphasizes the need for targeted, locally adapted strategies to ensure high-impact interventions reach the most affected communities.

As world leaders are convening this month in Geneva for the 78th World Health Assembly, the COPEMA launch signals a new era of political engagement, rooted in shared responsibility and national leadership.

What’s next for COPEMA? In the coming weeks, parliamentarians will begin formalizing COPEMA country chapters to sustain national-level engagement and follow through on their commitments. A follow-up meeting is planned for June 2025, where members will reconvene to review progress, share experiences, and strengthen coordination across countries.