In bid to eliminate malaria in Rivers State, the state government has signed malaria elimination Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Agreement with the Economic Countries of West African States, ECOWAS.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed for the construction of anti-mosquito larva biolarvicides factory as to produce under the ECOWAS malaria elimination campaign. Biolarvicides are safe substances spray to destroy mosquitoes in the larva stage of mosquito development.
According to the information available to The Newswriter, the agreement was signed at Abuja on Tuesday 16th July, 2013 as a follow up to the tripartite accord which ECOWAS signed in 2009 with Cuba and Venezuela for the purpose of setting up three biolarvicide factories in three ECOWAS member states, Cote D’ivoire, (Port Harcourt) Nigeria and Ghana for the supply of the product across the West African region, as a means of strengthening the vector control strategy for malaria.
The foundation stone laying ceremonies for the factories have taken place in Yamoussoukro and Port Harcourt with that of Ghana being expected in August, 2013.
According to the statement, malaria death accounts for hundreds of thousands of persons, especially children under five and pregnant women, with West Africa bearing a disproportionate level of the burden.
In line with the World Health Organization’s position that vector control is the only intervention capable of reducing malaria transmission from the highest level to zero, African leaders in their just concluded special summit on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Abuja, resolved to intensify the use of larval source management (LSM) for the control and elimination of malaria.
Initiating the MOU on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Kadre Dasire Quedraogo, Vice President Togo Gayewea Melintosh, reaffirmed the organization’s total commitment to the elimination of malaria scourge in the region.
“We still have a long way to go, but we are gradually moving on the right path,” he said, adding that “we wish to reassure the government and people of Rivers State that we will do all within our power to ensure the successful implementation of this project.”
Responding on behalf of the state government, Dr. Sampson Parker, Commissioner for Health, Rivers State who also signed the MOU on behalf of Gov. Chibuike Amaechi said, the MOU and other efforts carried out by ECOWAS were bold statements made by ECOWAS to ensure its determination to eliminate malaria in the region.
Stating that this is vindicated by the declaration of the Africa Union Abuja summit. He pledged the government’s total commitment and desire to complete the project during the tenure of Gov. Amaechi.
Under the tripartite agreement, Venezuela and Cuba would provide the financial and technical support as well as technology transfer for the establishment of the biolarvicide factories, to make the product readily available for use in the region to fight against mosquitoes for the elimination of malaria from the region as it happened in Latin American countries.
The multi-sectorial regional campaign will be a robust communication and social mobilization component, envisages mass public enlightenment for the benefits of environmental sanitation, training on the effective use of biolarvicides and possible movement of military personnel for large scale larviciding cum spraying across the region.
Dr. Mariane Ngoulla the ECOWAS Health Adviser was among those that witnessed the historic epoch making signing of the MOU at the ECOWAS commission headquarters in Abuja. ###
Allanso Jonathan Allanso
