Speak Up Africa launched its fifteenth-anniversary gathering in Dakar on Wednesday, bringing together public officials, researchers, and private sector representatives for a series of events.
Founded in the Senegalese capital in 2011, the advocacy organization focuses on malaria control, neglected tropical diseases, sanitation, and public health, [SenePlus] reported.
The third edition of Speak Up Africa Day opened with a dedicated session on malaria, reflecting the group’s earliest campaigns with the American organization Malaria No More. Executive Director Yacine Djibo said that traditional resources can no longer sustain health programs under past conditions.
She called for new financing mechanisms and deeper private sector involvement, [SenePlus] reported.
“[L]“The progress made in the fight against malaria should not mask the current funding difficulties,” Djibo told [SenePlus].
Raymonde Goudou-Coffie, former health minister of Côte d’Ivoire and an Avos champion for the organization, linked health sovereignty to domestic resource mobilization. She pointed to the creation of Côte d’Ivoire’s national fund for disease control and epidemic emergencies as a model for national financing. Sovereignty also requires African nations to produce their own knowledge and integrate scientists into policy making, she noted.
The organization highlighted its 2021 initiative, African Voices for Science, which supports researchers across the continent. Dr. Lamine Sané, director general of Senegal’s national agency for scientific and technical research, urged that African research move beyond publications to practical applications that directly serve local populations.”
The anniversary programming continues in Dakar on November 12, 14 and 20, with sessions focused on strategic partnerships, private sector engagement, reproductive health, and community mobilization. Planned events include a collaboration between the Basketball Africa League and local health initiatives in Guédiawaye, alongside dedicated programming for the Voix EssentiELLES initiative supporting women’s advocacy.
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