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Ecobank Ghana Limited and partners of the Zero Malaria Business Leadership Initiative (ZMBLI) have held a meeting with some private sector organisations to seek support for the initiative to help eliminate malaria from Ghana.  
  
The meeting, which was held in Accra, attracted businesses in the pharmaceutical industry and others to discuss support for the initiative.  
  
Ecobank in June 2023 announced the establishment of the Zero Malaria Fund, with an initial seed money of USD120,000.  
  
ZMBLI has three key objectives aimed at mobilising resources, advocating for change, and forging strategic partnerships that will drive meaningful impact.  
  
Acting Managing Director of the bank, Ms Joana Mensah said the fight against malaria demanded a collective action as the disease remained a threat to the well-being of millions of people across the African continent.  
  
“We at Ecobank are of the firm belief that the private sector has a crucial role to play in driving positive change and fostering sustainable development. It is in this spirit that we agreed to play a leading role for ZMBLI in Ghana. This has been a beautiful collaboration with the RBM partnership to end Malaria, and Speak Up Africa, to galvanise support aimed at eliminating malaria in Ghana,” she stated. 
  
She said the bank was convinced that Ghana could unlock tremendous opportunities for growth, and improve the quality of life of its citizens if malaria was eliminated. 
  
Ecobank, Ms Mensah said was poised to increase funding for the national malaria elimination effort, in a sustainable manner, as well as grow the network of private sector malaria champions, and contributors to the zero malaria fund.  
  
The purpose was to support the NMEP and the efforts of the government to ensure a malaria-free Ghana.  
  
She disclosed that the money had been earmarked to procure digital microscopes, electronic tablets, and one 4x4 pickup for the project.  
  
“These three-line items alone have almost completely exhausted the fund,” she said and called for urgent support to grow the fund.  
  
She expressed the hope that the eventual outcome of the project would be positive and each stakeholder would look back one day and say with much pride that “we were part of the Ghanaian individuals and institutions that responded to the call to support the malaria fight.” 
  
“Together, we can build a future where no child, no family, and no community is burdened by the devastating impact of malaria,” she said.  
  
Private Sector Coordinator-National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Phyllis Owusu-Achau said malaria accounted for about 30 per cent of all outpatient department (OPD) visits and 25 per cent of all hospital admissions in Ghana. 
  
She said it was feasible to eliminate malaria in the country by 2028, adding that it would save the country about US$ 32 billion annually. 
  
Head-Marketing and Corporate Communication, Ecobank Ghana, Dr. Daniel Kasser Tee, said that based on an analysis of the malaria burden and funding gap, a steering committee to mobilise private sector funds in support of the project had been established. 
  
The campaign intends to leverage Ecobank’s network in the sub-region to mobilise private resources and increase funding for national malaria elimination in a sustainable way. 
  
Ghana is the fifth country to join the ZMBLI project after it was first launched in Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso and  
Uganda.