Private sector partners step up the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria in Africa

Five private sector partners announced new pledges for the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment during the World Economic Forum on Africa.

Goodbye Malaria, which is supported by Nando’s, an international restaurant group founded in South Africa, as well as other corporate partners, has pledged R85 million (about US$5.5 million) to the Global Fund to expand a grant that aims to eliminate cross-border malaria transmission in Mozambique, South Africa and Eswatini.

Project Last Mile, GBCHealth and Zenysis Technologies announced in-kind support and co-investments to increase the effectiveness of health programs through innovations. Africa Health Business has pledged to support the mobilization of African business. These co-investments will total more than US$23 million.

“We can only succeed in our fight to end AIDS, TB and malaria by working with private sector partners,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “We need the private sector’s resources, innovation and know-how to counter the threat of drug resistance, to extend our reach and to build stronger health systems – all of which will save more lives.”

The announcements represent diverse support for health solutions, with the private sector and other essential partners such as the South African Ministry of Health, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

African governments and other donors are investing billions of dollars to strengthen health systems and make affordable medicines available. Yet supply chains often struggle to get medicines and supplies to health facilities and people who need them most. To address this challenge, the Global Fund and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation joined with The Coca-Cola Company in 2010 to form Project Last Mile, and USAID joined in 2014. This public-private partnership leverages Coca-Cola’s logistical, supply chain management and marketing expertise to support African governments in delivering lifesaving medicines and supplies to the hardest-to-reach communities. In addition, The Coca-Cola Foundation made charitable contributions to Project Last Mile. Following an initial commitment of more than US$21 million by partners in 2014, Project Last Mile has provided support to 10 countries in Africa.

“I am delighted to announce that Project Last Mile will be renewed for another five years, allowing us to deepen our investment in countries where the partnership is currently active and launch at least five new projects,” said Maserame Mouyeme, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Director for Coca-Cola Southern and East Africa.

Building on the successful model of Project Last Mile, the Global Fund is partnering with GBCHealth to leverage its network of companies committed to investing their resources and capabilities to strengthen supply chain management across the globe. The new platform, Logistics for Health, will be coordinated by GBCHealth and is intended to grow to include a diverse range of sectors.

“This new partnership represents GBCHealth’s and the private sector’s continued commitment to supporting the Global Fund in innovative ways, especially as it enters the next Replenishment. We believe this partnership creates new avenues for companies to tap into some of their core competencies and step up the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria,” said Nancy Wildfeir-Field, President of GBCHealth. 

Africa Health Business, a health consultancy based in Nairobi, announced it will support the Global Fund by working with businesses to increase their engagement in health. They aim to create public-private partnerships in Africa, build the voice and advocacy of business leaders, mobilize resources, and find innovative solutions to fight the three diseases.

France will host the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment pledging conference on 10 October 2019 in Lyon, France. The Global Fund seeks to raise at least US$14 billion – US$1 billion from the private sector – for the next three years. The funds will help save 16 million lives, cut the mortality rate from HIV, TB and malaria in half, and build stronger health systems by 2023.

Original source: The Global Fund
Published on 05 September 2019