Elimination Eight (E8)
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For the four southernmost malarious countries in southern Africa to successfully eliminate malaria, it is critical that the countries immediately to their north also focus their efforts on scaled-up malaria control along their southern borders.
From March 2 - 3, 2009, ministers of health from the eight southern African countries met in Windhoek, Namibia to launch the “Elimination Eight” (E8) regional initiative. The goal of the meeting was to increase collaboration among the eight neighboring countries, to achieve their common goal of eventual elimination of malaria in the region, and elimination in four countries, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland, by 2015. The E8 includes these four countries, along with their northern neighbors, Angola, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The inaugural meeting was attended by ministers of health from all E8 countries, along with leaders from key multilateral agencies. Ministers agreed to strengthen cross-border collaboration, jointly mobilize financial and technical resources to eliminate malaria, build health systems capacity in the region, and coordinate multi-sectoral efforts among all partners working on malaria activities. The meeting resulted in a Ministerial Resolution which was approved by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in Maputo, Mozambique in April 2009.
