By Haruna Gimba
Heads of State and Government has endorsed the AIDS Watch Africa (AWA) Report and its key recommendations to end AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by the year 2030.
A statement by the African Union said the meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the future direction of the highest level continent wide advocacy mechanism for promoting accountability and resource mobilisation for AIDS, TB and Malaria in Africa.
President Idriss Déby of the Republic of Chad who is also the AU and AWA Chairperson, said AIDS Watch Africa will continue to play an important leadership role in shaping the implementation of health continental policies at various levels.
“Let us continue to amplify our voices individually and collectively through AWA to advocate for more resource mobilisation and accountability in line with our 2013 Abuja commitments to end these three diseases by 2030,” President Déby said.
It was observed that the African Union has set very clear priorities
with matching bold and ambitious targets to super-fast track the end of AIDS, TB and Malaria by 2030.
The Africa Health Strategy and the Catalytic Framework to end the three diseases in Africa by 2030 provide the broader frameworks but however are well supported by other policy documents.
Health Reporters gathered that to end these three diseases, the Catalytic framework provides a business case for strengthened health systems, strategic information to inform policy and programmes and advocacy and capacity building.
According to the Press Statement, the African Heads of State and Government also adopted the Africa Scorecard on Domestic Financing for Health during the meeting.
The Decision on the AWA report called upon Member States to explore innovative mechanisms to increase the allocation of domestic financing for health.
President Deby added that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria remain critical in strengthening health systems and disease responses, therefore he urged all African leaders to support the Fifth Replenishment of the Global Fund.
The statement further added that the African leaders also underscored the importance of strengthening the pharmaceutical sector within the context of continental frameworks to promote public health and industrial development.
