Abuja: Fifty African Union (AU) Member States have embraced a cutting-edge digital micro-planning platform to accelerate the elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by 2030.
This move signals a unified commitment to ending diseases that disproportionately affect the continent’s poorest populations.
The innovative platform was co-created by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday via webinar in partnership with Member States, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the END Fund, and other technical partners.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the platform is expected to help countries track resource use, strengthen advocacy for sustainable financing, and foster Africa-led solutions to eliminate NTDs, often referred to as “diseases of poverty.”
The launch coincided with a four-day continental NTD microplanning workshop, a timely event amid a worrying decline in global donor funding that has disrupted key NTD programmes across the continent.
Dr Raji Tajudeen, Acting Deputy Director-General of Africa CDC, said public health efforts across Africa were under threat, with funding being one of the main challenges.
“This makes the continued engagement and energy around NTD elimination even more commendable,” Tajudeen said.
The African region remains endemic for 20 of the 21 priority NTDs, according to Dr Ibrahima Soce Fall, WHO Global NTD Director.
Fall noted that these diseases affected more than 565 million people, representing 35 per cent of the global burden. They cause chronic illness, disability, stigma, and, in many cases, death.
“These are not just diseases; they are drivers of inequality. They undermine education, nutrition, mental health, and economic development,” he said.
Each participating Member State presented a country-specific micro-plan targeting the six most prevalent NTDs, aligned with their national master plans.
The plans were designed to guide data-driven, integrated interventions that improved efficiency and reduced duplication in programming.
Dr Dereje Duguma Gemeda, Ethiopia’s State Minister for Health, said the workshop marked a turning point for countries to take practical steps towards better planning and implementation.
Gemeda added that the workshop also served as a platform for cross-country learning and partner coordination, focusing on optimising existing resources and identifying gaps requiring targeted external investment.
“We stand at a critical juncture, not just for NTD elimination, but for rethinking health financing in Africa,” said Dr Solomon Zewdu, CEO of the END Fund.
Zewdu highlighted the limitations of traditional reliance on foreign aid and emphasised the need for country-led, co-financing strategies to ensure long-term sustainability.
He reaffirmed the END Fund’s commitment to supporting governments in creating models that “deliver results and leave no community behind.”
Prof. Julio Rakotonirina, Director for Health and Humanitarian Affairs at the AU Commission, said the elimination of NTDs was more than a public health objective.
Rakotonirina emphasised that success depended on national ownership, domestic resource mobilisation, and practical implementation.
NAN reports that the digital micro-planning platform is now regarded as a cornerstone tool in Africa’s NTD elimination strategy and a model for future public health planning and financing across the continent.
The meeting ended with countries adopting comprehensive, costed micro-plans and identifying technical assistance needs and resource-mapping strategies.
The goal is to ensure sustainable, Africa-owned progress that aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
