The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria provides nearly 60% of international financing for malaria. Ahead of its Replenishment campaign on Friday, the President of Botswana appeals for world leaders to continue to support the Fund.

As President of the Republic of Botswana and Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), I have witnessed the toll of malaria across our continent, killing a child every minute. Additionally, I have seen how it keeps children out of school, weakens workers in the fields and factories, and drains our hospitals. 

Malaria is preventable and treatable. Yet if the world retreats now, an additional 750,000 children in Africa could die by 2030, and our economies could lose $83 billion in GDP if funding is so low that all prevention interventions are halted, as documented in Malaria: The Price of Retreat, a report commissioned by ALMA and Malaria No More UK.

 At the African Union, leaders have been clear: Africa must invest to drive its own prosperity. But we also call on our international friends to continue to partner with us in the fight against malaria to unlock a healthier and more prosperous Africa.

Africa is not standing still. Governments are mobilising domestic resources for health including malaria. National End Malaria Councils have raised $166 million from public and private sectors. Countries in Africa fund more than a third of all malaria treatments, a clear proof of our commitment to shared responsibility. 

Communities, businesses, and leaders are stepping up.  But, we cannot succeed in ending malaria alone. 

Children’s lives at risk

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria provides nearly 60% of international financing for malaria. Without this support, prevention programmes risk collapse, and many more children’s lives will be lost.

We know what is at stake. Agriculture, the backbone of Africa’s economies, could lose $4.3 billion in productivity by 2030 if malaria were to resurge. Tourism, a sector forecast to create millions of jobs, could lose more than $2 billion in revenue. 

In mining, malaria once cost AngloGold Ashanti’s operations in Ghana 7,500 workdays every month through absenteeism until prevention efforts, supported by the Global Fund, transformed outcomes.

 Malaria is not just a health issue. It is an economic brake on our prosperity.

Our health systems are already under strain. Between 2025 and 2030, malaria could cost $67 billion in healthcare spending if funding flatlines – and $20.7 billion more if prevention collapses. That means crowded hospitals, exhausted health workers, and fewer resources for mothers in childbirth or children needing vaccines.

Above all, malaria threatens our children and our future. Missed school days, weakened learning, and the deaths of so many young lives could cost Africa $19.7 billion in earnings by 2030.

But with full investment in prevention and treatment, Africa’s youth could gain $171 billion in lifetime earnings by 2040. That is the demographic dividend we must protect.

Africa is stepping up. But solidarity is essential. The upcoming replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – co-hosted by South Africa and the UK – is a moment of truth. Will the world support us as we push forward, or will it step back and watch progress unravel?

We call on world leaders, especially our G7 partners, to fully fund the Global Fund. This is not about charity. It is about shared responsibility and shared prosperity. Ending malaria will unlock growth, strengthen health sovereignty, and safeguard the future of our children.

We can end malaria in our lifetime. Africa is ready to lead. But the world must stand with us, now.

Duma Gideon Boko is the President of Botswana and chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. He has a Master’s in Law from Harvard University.

Image Credits: Ben Moldenhauer/MMV, Global Fund.