By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, Oct. 21, GNA – The Coalition of Parliamentarians to End Malaria in Africa (COPEMA) has strengthened its international partnerships and renewed advocacy for sustainable health financing at the 2026 World Health Summit and related engagements in Berlin, Germany.
In a communiqué issued after its participation in summit activities from October 10 to 13, the coalition called for increased domestic investment in health, stronger parliamentary accountability and sustained international cooperation to accelerate efforts to eliminate malaria across Africa.
The delegation comprised Mr Njume Peter Ambang, Co-Chair of COPEMA from Cameroon; Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, Chairman of Ghana’s Parliamentary Select Committee on Health; and Mr Chief Billy Famous Adesuwa Osawaru of Nigeria.
Their participation was aimed at translating global health commitments into national legislative action through budget approvals, policy development, and oversight of public expenditure.
A major highlight of the engagement was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between COPEMA and UNITE, a global network of parliamentarians committed to advancing health outcomes, at the German Bundestag on October 12.
The agreement was signed by Mr Ambang and Mr Ricardo Baptista Leite, Founder and President of UNITE, following a parliamentary meeting on sustainable financing for infectious diseases.
The meeting was organised by UNITE and COPEMA in collaboration with Impact Santé Afrique (ISA), Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and the German Foundation for World Population (DSW).
It brought together German parliamentarians, members of UNITE, representatives of the Global Fund and other partners to discuss strategies for protecting health investments amid growing pressure on public budgets.
The partnership is expected to strengthen collaboration between African and international parliamentarians, coordinate advocacy efforts and support legislative action on shared health priorities.
Speaking on behalf of COPEMA, Mr Ambang expressed appreciation to Germany for its €1 billion pledge to the Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment, while urging African countries to complement international support with stronger domestic health financing commitments.
“A nation’s budget is a moral document. It shows what we value, whom we protect, and whom we leave behind,” he said.
Mr Ambang noted that parliamentarians could improve health outcomes through budget approval, scrutiny of public expenditure and the enactment of legislation that protects access to healthcare.
He stressed that international solidarity would be more effective when accompanied by sustained domestic investment and strong accountability mechanisms.
COPEMA members also participated in a UNITE policy workshop on chronic respiratory diseases, providing an opportunity to engage with legislators working on other global health priorities.
The delegation reaffirmed its support for the Big Push Against Malaria campaign led by the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership to End Malaria.
Discussions with the RBM Partnership focused on how legislative authority and political leadership could be leveraged to strengthen malaria control and elimination efforts across the continent.
Participants identified financing constraints, emerging drug resistance, and competing health priorities as key challenges undermining progress towards malaria elimination.
Engagements with the Global Fund and other financing partners also centred on mobilising domestic resources, strengthening accountability, and managing financing transitions in malaria-endemic countries.
COPEMA cautioned that abrupt reductions in external funding could undermine access to proven interventions and reverse gains made in malaria prevention and control.
The coalition emphasised that sustainable health financing required not only increased resources but also prudent spending decisions, protection of essential health services, and measurable outcomes for communities.
The Berlin engagement marked another milestone in positioning African parliamentarians as key actors in shaping health policy, mobilising domestic resources and sustaining international commitment towards ending malaria on the continent.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Samira Larbie