Ecobank Ghana, through its Foundation, has donated US$120,000 as an initial fund to support the National Malaria Elimination Programme and the efforts of government to eradicate malaria in Ghana as part of Ecobank Ghana’s corporate social responsibility (CSR),
The donation was given during the Zero Malaria Leadership Initiative launch as proof of its commitment to fighting and eradicating malaria from the country.
Executive Director and Head of Consumer Banking at Ecobank, Edward Botchway, indicated that the Zero Malaria Business Leadership Initiative has three key objectives – which include increasing and sustaining funding for national malaria elimination; strengthening the network of private sector malaria champions; and enhancing capacity for coordinated action at the national level, hence the need for the seed donation.
“Through these objectives, we aim to mobilise resources, advocate for change and forge strategic partnerships that will drive meaningful impact, and it is for these reasons that Ecobank Ghana took this step,” he said.
He added that the negative impact of malaria on our society cannot be overemphasised. He said: “The negative impact of malaria includes eroding productivity, disrupting education, diminishing purchasing power and placing an immense burden on the healthcare system.
“The economic consequences are grave, affecting our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by up to 5-6 percent. However, by eliminating malaria we can unlock tremendous opportunities for growth and improve the quality of life for our citizens,” he noted.
Mr. Botchway took the opportunity to call on all Ghanaian private sector actors to join the mission of eradicating malaria completely from Ghana. He said: “Let us commit to sustainable partnership in the fight against malaria at the national, regional and local assembly levels”.
Senior Malaria Advisor of Speak Up Africa, James Wallen, also indicated that Ghana is the fifth country to adopt the Zero Malaria Business Leadership Initiative following Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso and Uganda.
He stated that malaria elimination hinges on a huge number of factors which include the importance of a robust and multi-sectoral partnership approach.
“Indeed, the basic idea behind the Zero Malaria Start with Me campaign – initially conceived in Senegal in collaboration with PATH and the Ministry of Health in 2014 – is that every sector, and every individual at every level of society, has a crucial role to play making malaria-elimination a reality,” he emphasised.
Mr. Wallen further revealed that the private sector plays a vital role in eliminating malaria, the reason the Zero Malaria Business Initiative was designed to specifically target private sector companies and business leaders.
Special Advisor to the Minister of Health on Human resources, Baffour Awuah, in a representation of the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, stated that in Africa alone malaria claims the lives of over 600,000 people every year – with children under the age of five tragically accounting for over two-thirds of deaths.
He indicated that in Ghana malaria is the number-one cause of outpatient department (OPD) attendance and the major cause of hospital admissions. He said malaria exerts a significant financial burden on our National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and it is estimated to cost the country 1-2 percent of GDP.
Mr. Awuah called on all private sector companies operating in Ghana to integrate malaria into their CSR plans and health strategies, and join in accomplishing the malaria elimination project.
About Zero Malaria Business Leadership initiative
Zero Malaria Business Leadership is an initiative led by Ecobank Group, and in partnership with the Senegal-based policy and advocacy action outfit ‘Speak Up Africa’ set out to drive private sector engagement for the fight against malaria in Africa.
Malaria in Ghana
According to the Zero Malaria Leadership Initiative factsheet, Ghana accounts for 2.0 percent of the global malaria burden – making it one of the top-eleven highest malaria-burdened countries in the world.
The region most affected by malaria is Oti Region, with the highest parasite prevalence of 15 percent from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS).
