The Principality of Monaco pledged $2 million to the World Health Organisation over a five-year period to support the elimination of malaria in eight countries in Africa’s Sahel region.
The agreement was signed by the WHO’s Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti and Carole Lanteri, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Monaco to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The latest development is a boost in the fight against malaria in the continent.
Last week, the WHO announced that Algeria has been officially recognized as malaria-free.
Algeria is the second country in the WHO African Region to be officially recognized as malaria-free, after Mauritius, which was certified in 1973.
Monaco is a contributor to the WHO’s malaria programme, making it an important partner for the African region.
The WHO says malaria is still one of the world’s leading killers, with about 219 million cases and over 400,000 malaria-related deaths recorded in 2017. About 60% of fatalities of malaria-related cases are among children aged under five years.
