Today, Ifakara Health Institute joins partners in hosting a Malaria Forum in Dar es Salaam. The Forum gives stakeholders an opportunity to discuss successes and challenges in the fight against malaria in Tanzania.

Ifakara hosts this year’s Forum in collaboration with the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Program (ZAMEP) with the support from the Swiss Embassy in Tanzania.

Stakeholders invited to participate and engage in the malaria forum include policymakers, government officials, parliamentarians, researchers, academicians, multilateral and bilateral funding partners, civil society organizations, journalists and the general public.

Welcome note from the host

Giving a welcome note, Dr. Honorati Masanja, the Chief Executive Director of Ifakara said that the forum offered a learning platform for stakeholders to share best practices and harness their collective knowledge and expertise towards malaria elimination by 2030.

“Together, let us foster an environment of open dialogue, mutual respect, and collaboration throughout our discussions. Let us challenge conventional thinking, embrace innovation, and explore bold ideas that have the potential to revolutionize malaria control efforts.

“Together, we can create a brighter future for millions of Tanzanians where malaria no longer poses a threat to public health,” said Dr. Masanja.

The Forum is officially opened

In her opening remarks, the Guest of Honour of the Forum, Prof. Tumaini Nagu, the Chief Medical Officer, expressed his pleasure to be a part of a significant day which symbolized the commitment and a long-term partnership between the Ministry of Health and Ifakara Health Institute.

“Ifakara Health Institute along with other research and academic institutions have been a cornerstone to the Ministry of Health and Malaria Control Programme in generating knowledge through research and monitoring coverage of deployed interventions,” she said.

Prof. Nagu, whose speech was read by Dr. Ahmad Makuwani, the Director of Preventive Services - Ministry of Health, also highlighted the key achievements made in scaling up cost-effective preventive and curative interventions for malaria control in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

She also acknowledged the significance of stakeholders coming together to identify areas of focus where the country can invest in cost-effective interventions to achieve the global strategy of malaria elimination by 2030.

“I hope you will come up with suggestions to advise the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania on how best to accelerate the efforts towards reduction of malaria burden and achieve elimination,” said Prof. Nagu.

Back-to-back presentations

During the forum, back-to-back presentations of various malaria research were done by research scientists from the NMCP, ZAMEP, IHI, Shinda Malaria, TCDC, BreakThrough Action (JHU), Swiss TPH Tanzania, Dhibiti Malaria, NIMR, and ALMA.

Each presentation was followed by a pannel discussion around a specific  discussion topic. The topics included: an overview of malaria in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar; charasteristics of malaria transmission; and new technologies for malaria control.

The presentations focused on the overview of malaria and the characteristics of malaria transmission in Tanzania and Zanzibar as well as the new technologies for malaria control and elimination such as new malaria drugs and vaccines, vector control measures, diagnostics and surveillance methods.

About Malaria Forum
The Malaria Forum was an activity that Ifakara hosted in collaboration with the NMCP and the ZAMEP for some years (2011-2015) with support from SDC, Irish Aid, DFID and NORAD. The aim of this one-day meeting is to bring together malaria control stakeholders in Tanzania (mainland and Zanzibar) to have an intellectual discussion on the progress made on various fronts in malaria control.

The Forum design include presentations, panel discussions, and other innovative means to engage policymakers, government officials, parliamentarians, researchers, academicians, multilateral and bilateral funding partners, civil society organizations, journalists, and members of the public in a meaningful way.

In line with this year's theme of World Malaria Day “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”, activities of the Forum will focus on a number of objectives, including providing an overview of the current malaria situation in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar, recent progress in the scale-up of interventions, and the impact that these interventions have had on malaria-related indicators.

The Forum also helps participants to understand how the characteristics of malaria transmission in Tanzania have changed in recent years, and what new challenges this throws up for malaria control strategies; and providing the opportunity for stakeholders to discuss technologies and approaches in the pipeline for enhanced malaria control towards elimination.

>> More photos from the Forum: https://ifakarahealthinstitute.smugmug.com/DAR-ES-SALAAM-BRANCH-PHOTOS/Ifakara-hosts-Malaria-Forum-in-Dar