The African region made an impassioned appeal for global funding to be restored for malaria elimination at the World Health Assembly on Wednesday.

Drastic aid cuts in the past 18 months, particularly by the United States, have had a dramatic effect on malaria efforts – particularly as they coincide with growing drug resistance.

Nigeria, speaking for African member states, noted that the World Health Organization’s (WHO) malaria elimination effort known as E-2025 has not been funded since 2024. The initiative had focused on supporting 25 countries with the potential to eliminate malaria by 2025 with Global Fund money.

Around 95% of global malaria cases are in Africa, and Nigeria is the worst-affected country in the world, accounting for almost a quarter of the world’s malaria cases and a third of all deaths.

It requested the assembly to “restore financing for malaria elimination, including the E 2025 initiative, and accelerate roll out of the RTS,S (Mosquirix) and R21 (Matrix-M) vaccines”. 

Instead of being on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing malaria cases by 90% by 2030, global incidence has risen by 8.5%, according to the WHO’s World Health Statistics 2026. 

Millions of lives at risk

In mid-2025, the WHO warned that funding cuts to malaria programmes put “millions of additional lives at risk and could reverse decades of progress”.

Between 2010 and 2023, the US contributed around 37% of global malaria financing.

By early April 2025, more than 40% of planned distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) – the cornerstone of malaria prevention – were delayed, according to data provided by national malaria programmes.

“Nearly 30% of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) campaigns to protect 58 million children were also off track,” the WHO reported.

Angola told the WHA that malaria is one of its leading causes of morbidity and mortality, yet its efforts to address the disease were being hampered by “climate-related vulnerabilities and declining external financing”.

Several other countries mentioned changing climate was increasing their vulnerability to malaria.

On a positive note, Cabo Verde became the first sub-Saharan country in 50 years to be certified malaria-free.

Suriname, which used to have the highest annual malaria incidence in the Amazon region, has also received the WHO malaria elimination certification. 

Suriname said its success relied on two critical pillars: decentralised primary health care and the rollout of rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapy.

Malaysia, which aims to be malaria-free by 2030, asked for more WHO support.

New plan for tuberculosis

The committee session discussed a new WHO tuberculosis strategy post-2030, neglected tropical diseases and immunisation.

Poland reminded the assembly that tuberculosis remains “one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, despite being preventable and curable”. 

Its own TB response had been challenged by “the influx of refugees from Ukraine after 2022”, which it addressed by “flexible, patient-centred, and community-based care”.

Poland’s contribution to the post 2030 TB strategy has been focused on drug-resistant TB, migration-sensitive approaches, patient-centred care, and health system resilience. 

“On tuberculosis, our region is outpacing the world. Incidence is down 28% and mortality down 46% since 2015, and we lead globally on TB-HIV integration,” said Nigeria.

Nigeria also noted that 23 African countries have eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease, while vaccination had averted 1.9 million deaths in 2024.

“These gains share the same ingredients: political leadership, integrated systems, mobilised communities, and partners align behind one national plan, but they are fragile. 

“Our region still carries 95% of the global malaria burden. Ten countries account for 80% of zero-dose children. We hold 17% of the world’s 30 high-burden TB countries.

“Our frameworks are sound. What is missing is the financing, the integration and the accountability to match them.”