Five African leaders launch $18b campaign to battle Aids, TB and malaria amid COVID-19

The Global Fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria was launched by five African presidents at the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment campaign on Feb 23 at an online global health summit. 

The five leaders are Democratic Republic of the Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, Senegal's President Macky Sall, and South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Donald Kaberuka, chair of the Global Fund Board, expressed gratefulness to them for co-hosting the high-level preparatory meeting to launch the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment.

"This demonstrates their commitment and leadership in the fight against the three epidemics within their respective countries and illustrates Africa's strong engagement and partnership with the Global Fund," said Kaberuka.

"They are calling on the world to join them in their determination to reach this ambitious goal to end HIV, TB and malaria by 2030 and build strong national health systems to respond to emerging pandemics." 

The Global Fund's Investment Case, released on the same day, explains the need for $18 billion to get back on track to end Aids, TB and malaria, accelerate progress toward the sustainable development goal of "health and well-being for all" and universal health coverage, and strengthen pandemic preparedness. 

A successful replenishment would allow the partnership to save 20 million lives between 2024 and 2026, reducing the mortality rate by 64 percent across the three diseases by 2026, relative to 2020 levels; avert more than 450 million infections or cases, cutting the incidence rate by 58 percent across the three diseases by 2026, relative to 2020 levels; reduce the death toll across the three diseases to 950,000 in 2026, down from 2.4 million in 2020, and from 4 million in 2005. 

It would also catalyze the scale-up of domestic investments of up to $59 billion toward ending the three diseases and strengthening systems for health through co-financing requirements and technical assistance on health financing, reinforce systems for health and pandemic preparedness by investing about $6 billion to support healthcare workers, strengthen laboratories, diagnostic tools, supply chain management, information and financial systems, tackle antimicrobial resistance, including drug-resistant TB and reinforce community systems.

In the 20 years since the Global Fund was created, the partnership has saved 44 million lives and cut the death toll from the three diseases by 40 percent. But significant progress has been lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic and global resource needs have increased, according to the Global Fund.

Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund, said: "We must increase support to countries to build more resilient, sustainable and inclusive systems for health. This is crucial for ending HIV, TB and malaria, defeating COVID-19 and protecting people from future infectious disease threats around the world." 

Lady Roslyn Morauta, vice-chair of the Global Fund Board, urged the entire partnership to increase financial support to defeat the three diseases.

"When the Global Fund was created 20 years ago, HIV, TB and malaria seemed unbeatable. But we have proven that with science, adequate resources and effective global and local collaboration, we can force even the deadliest diseases into retreat."