MARC SE-Africa co-hosts a policy forum on tackling antimalarial drug resistance in East and Southern Africa
On 15 September, the RBM Partnership to end malaria, MARC SE-Africa, and the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme policy unit convened a policy forum on tackling antimalarial drug resistance in the lead-up to the 14th RBM Case Management Working Group meeting in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Participants of the policy forum in Abidjan, 15 September 2025.
Drug-resistant malaria is on the rise in East and Southern Africa, requiring swift and collaborative regional action to limit its effects. Policy forum participants gathered at the event to share information about the current state of resistance detection and present response plans, as well as to formulate the next steps in mobilising urgent, coordinated action in the region.
The event brought together representatives from East and Southern Africa, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the East African Community secretariat, the Southern African Development Community malaria control managers, Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Novartis, PATH, and Jhpiego, among others.
Recent successes in regional collaboration
Setting the tone for the day, the MARC SE-Africa coordinator, Prof Karen Barnes, presented recent trends in drug-resistant malaria. She outlined the work that the consortium has been doing to strengthen regional collaboration, as well as enable the easier and faster sharing of this key data among all those working in malaria management. Dr Michael Katende from the East African Community Secretariat then showcased how these efforts have culminated in the creation of the Regional Detailed Action Plan for Responding to Antimalarial Drug Resistance in East Africa earlier this year, and shared the lessons learned in the process on how to build consensus in regional responses.
Sharing of best practices and addressing challenges together
During the panel discussion on national responses, representatives from, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia shared their experiences and challenges related to managing malaria and drug resistance. They spoke about their treatment implementation plans aimed at limiting resistance, recent trends in malaria cases, and the importance of continued surveillance and regular therapeutic efficacy studies.
The discussion concluded with a call for regional collaboration in Southern Africa to address drug resistance, including the development of a regional detailed action plan.
A panel discussion between national malaria control programs managers at the policy forum.
Data sharing and strengthened regional coordination
Following breakout sessions that centred on the two regions (East and Southern Africa), the participants reconvened for a final debrief and discussion on the next steps. The conversation concluded with a summary of regional coordination efforts, data sharing challenges, and proposed solutions for enhancing collaboration among different African regions in combating malaria and drug resistance.
The MARC SE-Africa consortium will continue to actively support efforts aimed at building stronger regional collaboration in the fight against drug-resistant malaria. All future developments in this area will be featured on the MARC SE-Africa news page – stay tuned!
