STATEMENT BY THE RT HON. PRIME MINISTER,
AMBROSE MANDVULO DLAMINI
AT THE END MALARIA FUND PRIVATE SECTOR BREAKFAST MEETING
AT ROYAL SWAZI SPA
FRIDAY 10 MAY 2019
Your Royal Highnesses
Honourable Ministers
Captains of Industry
Members of the Private Sector
Partners
Senior Government officials
Members of the media
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning
May I, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, welcome and thank all of you for attending this important End Malaria Fund breakfast meeting.
I am grateful to have this opportunity today to engage with you, the titans of industry in Eswatini, about the Kingdom’s progress in eliminating malaria and the proposed Eswatini End Malaria Fund.
Over the years, we have seen how the private sector, working with Government and other stakeholders, has effectively contributed to the implementation of priority national initiatives. These include HIV and AIDS, poverty reduction, job creation and the ease of doing business, to name but a few. I am happy that His Majesty’s Government can continue to count on the private sector to discuss strategies to support the continental and regional initiatives for a malaria free generation.
May I also acknowledge the leadership of the Deputy Prime Minister, the inter-Ministerial Taskforce, and the many Public Servants that have contributed to this process. Special gratitude goes to the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) which is currently chaired by His Majesty and Ingwenyama, King Mswati III. ALMA has been an important partner in this effort.
Two weeks ago, Eswatini and the international community celebrated World Malaria Day. This day was a reminder that malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa, affecting more than 200 million people and killing more than 400 thousand each year - 61% of which are under the age of five. The commemoration was also recognition that ending malaria is essential to achieving the objectives of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, especially with regard to creating a prosperous Africa built on inclusive growth and sustainable development, and a call to action that all of us have an important role to play in ending this disease.
The Kingdom of Eswatini is signatory to the African Union “zero malaria starts with me” campaign; which His Majesty King Mswati III and His Excellency Macky Sal, the President of the Republic of Senegal, launched in July 2018. The campaign recognises that eliminating malaria requires advocacy, action, and accountability across all sectors, public and private, and at all levels. It is a responsibility we all share.
The Kingdom is also signatory to the SADC Windhoek declaration on malaria elimination; which called on SADC Member States to, among other things, increase resource allocation from national governments to address the gap in funding and supportive policies to promote malaria elimination.
As Prime Minister and Cabinet, we are responsible, and so are all the stakeholders represented here today. Some of you gathered here have members who undertake a lot of cross border travel while others have their membership located in the most at risk areas. At community level, we have parents who worry about the health of their children. We all must all put our hands on deck to end malaria.
His Majesty the King has provided the necessary leadership, by operationalizing the commitments and demonstrating that we can end malaria. He has called on his Government to take up the baton and make a malaria free Eswatini a sustainable possibility. In order to sustain the achievements thus far, His Majesty will be launching the Eswatini End Malaria Fund on 31st may 2019.
The End Malaria Fund is a public-private partnership to mobilise domestic and external resources to close this gap. The Fund will be independent and managed by a Multi-sectoral Board of Directors to draw on the unique capacity of the Government, industries, and communities.
The Minister of Finance will present the specifics on the Fund, setting out its objectives and the investment case, while the Minister of Health will highlight the Kingdom’s progress in the malaria elimination journey. She will also set out the funding gaps in the national malaria elimination strategy, which provide a clear pathway, including universal coverage of interventions that kill the mosquitoes in at-risk areas, expanded case management, and enhanced surveillance, tracking, and reporting on each case. However, an additional $5.5 million US dollars is needed to succeed.
The task of eliminating malaria is before us, and the region will be looking to Eswatini for leadership and to see what is possible. Thus, it is essential that we deliver. Let us set the standard and make history by eliminating malaria.
I invite all of you to be open and frank in these deliberations in order to develop effective strategies for establishing a sustainable Eswatini End Malaria Fund. The Ministers and officials are available to deal with any questions you may have as you discuss and agree on the next steps.
Thank you very much. May God bless us all.