The President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, has underscored the importance of regional collaboration in tackling malaria, describing the ECOWAS Assembly as a critical platform for decisive action.
Bio, who currently chairs the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States, was represented by Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh.
He spoke on Saturday at the 27th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Health Ministers of ECOWAS, held in Sierra Leone.
The high-level meeting brought together health ministers from member states, senior government officials, development partners, and regional health experts to advance a coordinated response toward malaria elimination in West Africa.
The session, convened by the West African Health Organisation in collaboration with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health, is themed: “Advancing Malaria Elimination Through an Integrated Regional Strategy.”
According to organisers, the two-day meeting aims to strengthen collective action against malaria, one of the region’s most persistent public health challenges.
In his remarks, Bio stressed that population health remains a key measure of governments’ performance in delivering essential services. He called for concrete, measurable outcomes and faster progress from malaria control to full elimination through stronger, data-driven, and innovative health systems.
He subsequently declared the session open.
In his welcome address, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health and Chairman of the occasion, Dr Austin Demby, highlighted renewed political commitment across the region to prioritising health within the broader sustainable development agenda.
Demby warned that progress in malaria control has stagnated globally since 2015, citing declining external funding and the growing impact of climate change on transmission patterns.
He called for increased domestic investment, innovation, and the transformation of health systems into more resilient and responsive structures capable of accelerating malaria elimination efforts.
