Africa Malaria Progress Report 2025: Funding, Challenges & Elimination Efforts

A joint press conference is scheduled for February 14, 2026, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to address the ongoing challenges in malaria elimination efforts across Africa. Hosted by the African Union Commission, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), and the Republic of Botswana – currently holding the ALMA Chair – the conference will present findings from the 2025 Africa Malaria Progress Report.

The report highlights a concerning stall in progress against malaria since 2015. African Union Member States bear a disproportionate burden of the global malaria toll, accounting for 96% of cases and 97% of deaths. Despite significant gains since 2000 – with 2.3 billion cases and 14 million deaths averted globally, including 1 million lives saved in 2024 alone – an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths occurred in 2024, representing a rise of roughly 9 million cases compared to the previous year. Forty-seven countries and one territory have been officially certified as malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO), but the overall trend remains a serious global health challenge.

A key concern outlined in both the 2025 Africa Malaria Progress Report and the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2025 is the growing threat of antimalarial drug resistance. Partial resistance to artemisinin derivatives, a cornerstone of malaria treatment following failures of earlier drugs like chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, has been confirmed or suspected in at least eight African countries. There are also indications that the efficacy of drugs combined with artemisinin may be declining.

The press conference will feature President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko of the Republic of Botswana, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development at the African Union Commission, Ambassador Amma Tum-Amoah, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, Dr. Michael Adekunle Charles, and other Heads of State and Government (to be confirmed). Mrs. Leslie Richer, Director for Information and Communication at the African Union Commission, will moderate the event.

Financial shortfalls are a major impediment to continued progress. A projected 30% reduction in funding could lead to an additional 146 million malaria cases and 397,000 preventable deaths by 2030. The situation is described as an “unprecedented ‘perfect storm’” of challenges, compounded by climate-driven outbreaks and increasing insecticide resistance.

African leaders are prioritizing a “Big Push” Against Malaria, focusing on several key areas. These include advancing health sovereignty through local manufacturing of essential medicines and tools, addressing a 70% drop in Official Development Assistance (ODA) through increased domestic resource mobilization and the establishment of End Malaria Councils, and deploying next-generation tools to combat insecticide resistance and climate-driven outbreaks. The Africa Malaria Progress Report tracks progress against the AU Catalytic Framework targets and documents Member State actions to accelerate progress.

The 2025 Africa Malaria Progress Report, prepared annually by the African Union Commission, ALMA, and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, will be available for download from www.au.int and www.alma2030.org. ALMA, founded in 2009, is a coalition of African Heads of State and Government working towards a malaria-free Africa by 2030.

The WHO’s World Malaria Report 2025 underscores the need for sustained investment in malaria programs and research. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of trends in malaria control and elimination across 80 malaria-endemic countries, reviewing progress across prevention, diagnosis, treatment, elimination, and surveillance. The report emphasizes that despite the significant progress made since 2000, malaria remains a serious global health challenge, particularly in the WHO African Region, where 11 countries account for approximately two-thirds of global cases and deaths.

The conference aims to galvanize a united effort to increase funding for malaria programs, with a particular emphasis on bolstering domestic resources and fostering public-private partnerships. The overarching message, encapsulated in the slogan “Zero Malaria Starts with Me. Zero Malaria Starts with You,” highlights the collective responsibility required to achieve malaria elimination.