Intensifying the Fight Against Malaria: The World Bank's Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa

The World Bank approaches malaria not only as a major public health issue but also as a broader development problem that costs Africa US$12 billion a year and helps keep families and communities in poverty. In 2005, the World Bank reaffirmed its commitment to malaria control by launching the Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa, a 10-year initiative that in its first three years committed over US$470 million to malaria control on the continent. Focusing on a two-pronged approach of combining disease control interventions and health systems strengthening, the program has contributed significantly to the global effort to fight the disease.As Phase II (2008-2011) of the program begins, the World Bank will intensify its efforts to enable more countries in Africa to achieve and sustain large-scale impact on malaria. On September 25, 2008 World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick announced a US$1.1 billion expansion of the program at the United Nations Special Session on the Millennium Development Goals. The Phase II strategy establishes the rationale and basis for this doubling commitment. Whereas Phase I took advantage of relatively facile opportunities to support countries’ malaria control goals, Phase II is more strategic and builds on the successes of and lessons learned from Phase I. It is designed in a way that enables the World Bank to use its comparative advantages to contribute to the elimination of malaria as a major public health problem in parts of Africa by 2015, a goal set by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and the United Nations Secretary General. Major reductions in malaria deaths and illness are possible within the next five to seven years. Attacking the disease full-force with a front-loaded effort will have tremendous impact on health and economic outcomes. African nations and the global community are gearing up to meet this goal. As one of the top three funders of malaria control, the World Bank is called to play a lead role in this effort. Phase II of the Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa is the Bank’s affirmative and emphatic response to this call.