The African Business Coalition for Health (ABCHealth) has been appointed as the new Secretariat for the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA), according to a press statement from the Coalition.
“This development marks a pivotal moment in our journey towards enhancing health systems across the continent, as we take on the stewardship of CAMA from the Global Business Coalition for Health (GBCHealth) in New York,” the statement added.
Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease, claims over 700,000 lives annually, primarily affecting pregnant women and children under five. Africa accounts for approximately 90% of the more than 250 million annual cases, resulting in the loss of millions of work hours and over $12 billion in unearned income [1).
CAMA focuses on mobilizing the private sector to drive impactful partnerships for malaria control and elimination in workplaces and communities. It creates opportunities for the private sector to engage with peers and leaders from governments, NGOs, academia, and other sectors to scale impact in the fight against the disease.
Aliko Dangote, Chairman and President of Dangote Industries Limited and Chairman of Aliko Dangote Foundation, co-founded ABCHealth through the Foundation. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of ABCHealth, Access Holdings Plc, and Coronation Group Limited, stated, “As the new Secretariat for CAMA, ABCHealth will build on the successes achieved over the past 17 years in providing value to its members in relevance and scaled impact in the fight against malaria.”
He added, “The appointment is a key milestone in GBCHealth’s plan to transition its work to being fully African-led.”
ABCHealth collaborates closely with Africa’s private sector leaders and global organisations to enhance the health and well-being of Africans. “This new charge to lead CAMA and its esteemed member organisations and the wider Malaria ecosystem, to collaboratively control and eventually eliminate malaria across the continent, is a responsibility that ABCHealth is proud to take on,” the statement added.
Aig-Imoukhuede, also the Founder and Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, remarked, “The current challenges facing Africa’s healthcare, and its disproportionate disease burden reinforces the strong business case for private sector engagement in health. The transition of CAMA to ABCHealth is a further opportunity for partners in both public and private sectors to collaborate towards improved health outcomes across Africa.”
Zouera Youssoufou, CEO of Aliko Dangote Foundation and Director of the ABCHealth Board, expressed delight at the development: “Our Principal and ABCHealth Co-Founder, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who is also the Chair of the End-Malaria Council in Nigeria, looks forward to seeing a scaling up of the impact of CAMA in Africa now that the organisation will be fully led by Africans.”
Mories Atoki, CEO of ABCHealth, said, “Our Coalition is fully committed to moving CAMA further. We recognise the impact of members’ activities and look forward to working with all of them and new members in the coming year and beyond.
We recognise the unwavering support of CAMA’s Leadership Council (Access Bank, Chevron, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and ExxonMobil) during this transition and their continued commitment to the Alliance’s goal of a Malaria-free Africa.”
Lesley-Anne Long, former President and CEO of GBCHealth, commented, “CAMA has been one of GBCHealth’s flagship programmes for more than 15 years and we are delighted that its impactful work will continue through ABCHealth.”
