Geneva, 28 July 2020 – The RBM Partnership to End Malaria today announced two new members joining its Board:
- Dr Elizabeth Chizema, Coordinator, End Malaria Council, Zambia
- Dr Oluwafunmilola (Lola) Dare, President, Chestrad Global, Nigeria
Professor Maha Taysir Barakat, Board Chair of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Dr Lola Dare and Dr Elizabeth Chizema to the RBM Partnership Board, whose hands-on expertise in malaria-affected countries—both high-burden and those within reach of elimination—will be extremely valuable for the Partnership as it develops its new strategy for the next five years. These two appointments both increase representation of Board members from malaria-affected countries’ to nearly two-thirds and bring us a step closer to achieving gender parity on the RBM Board.”
Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, added:
“On behalf of the RBM Partnership Secretariat, I warmly welcome the two newest Board members. With these two new appointments, we are strengthening the voice of malaria-affected countries and particularly of those working at the grassroots levels and having a first-hand experience in leading national malaria programmes. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to undo the historic progress against malaria of the past two decades, it is critical that our collective response is led by malaria affected countries and grounded in locally appropriate solutions and community ownership, which the incoming Board members bring to the RBM Partnership.”
Dr Elizabeth Chizema is currently ALMA’s End Malaria Council Secretariat Officer seconded to Zambia’s End Malaria Council, a high-level multi-sector body convened to support the elimination efforts through advocacy, action and accountability and resource mobilization. Prior to this, she was the Director of the National Malaria Elimination Programme, charged with a goal to eliminate malaria in Zambia. In this role, she helped raise the profile for Zambia’s malaria control and elimination efforts, achieving remarkable reductions in malaria morbidity and mortality. Throughout her career, she held numerous leadership positions, and led the establishment of the Zambia’s National Public Health Institute and the National Health Research Authority, as well as the Regional Hub of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to support the Southern African Development Committee. Dr Chizema earned a medical degree from the University of Zambia and a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Dr Lola Dare is an award-winning community physician, epidemiologist, public health practitioner, development consultant, social entrepreneur and irrepressible global health advocate for women, girls, young persons for over 30 years. She has championed the application of evidence and data for policy, evaluation and accountability demand functions of a broad range of non-state actors including civil society and community-based organizations, private sector and the media. She is currently the President of Chestrad Global, a trail blazing and award winning African-led social enterprise operating in Africa, Europe and North America with its headquarters office in Nigeria. She has served in many roles in governance mechanisms in Africa and internationally, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, GAVI and the African Union. Dr Lola Dare is a graduate of the College of Medicine University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s foremost College of Medicine, and holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology.
The Board is the governing body of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria. It includes 17 Board members with deep expertise and experience at a senior decision-making level as well as representation from across the Partnership, including malaria-affected countries, private sector, civil society, donor organisations, and the broader health and development sectors. Board members serve in their individual capacity and are elected for an initial three-year term.
The next meeting of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria Board will convene in Geneva, Switzerland from 1-2 December 2020 and will consider, among others, the adoption of the Partnership’s Strategic Plan for 2021-2025.
About the RBM Partnership to End Malaria
The RBM Partnership to End Malaria is the largest global platform for coordinated action against malaria. Originally established as Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership in 1998, it mobilises for action and resources and forges consensus among partners. The Partnership is comprised of more than 500 partners, including UN agencies, malaria endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, non-governmental and community-based organisations, foundations, and research and academic institutions. The RBM Partnership Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Geneva, Switzerland. More information: endmalaria.org
