Celebrating 20 Years of Public-Private Partnership’s Malaria Elimination Project in Equatorial Guinea
With intensive year-round transmission, malaria has been a leading health problem for the people of Equatorial Guinea. Sustained partnership efforts offer hope for a future without malaria.
June 20, 2023
Left to right: Edson Jones, AMPCO; Simon Smith, Marathon Oil; Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba, Minister of Health of Equatorial Guinea; Dr. Christopher Schwabe, president and CEO of MCD Global Health, Scott Childres, Chevron; and Bernardo Ricardo Cuaresma Lobe, Chevron.
MCD Global Health (MCD), a public health nonprofit located in Maine, is thrilled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of implementing the Bioko Island Malaria Elimination Project (BIMEP) in Equatorial Guinea. The BIMEP is an award-winning, internationally recognized, public-private partnership committed to eliminating malaria on Bioko Island with the Government of Equatorial Guinea, Marathon Oil Corporation, Chevron, AMPCO, SONAGAS, and other business partners.
To celebrate this milestone, MCD hosted an event last week in Washington, D.C., with remarks from Marathon Oil, Chevron, and the Government of Equatorial Guinea’s ministries of Health and Social Welfare and Mines and Hydrocarbons. In addition, the event featured two keynote speakers: Dr. Peter Crompton, chief of the Malaria Infection Biology and Immunology Section within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Jennifer Gardy, deputy director of Surveillance, Data, and Epidemiology for the Gates Foundation.
From the Event
“Over the last two decades, this unique public-private partnership, which is one of the longest-lasting malaria control projects in recent history, has changed thousands of lives across Equatorial Guinea through its dramatic strides in malaria control and elimination,” said Philip Liverpool, general manager of Marathon EG Production Limited.
Equatorial Guinea is made up of its mainland and insular regions, including Bioko Island. Since 2004, the BIMEP has contributed to improvements in the health and well-being of the island’s residents, including reducing the: percentage of children (between ages 2 to 14) with malaria by 66% from 2004 to 2022; prevalence of severe anemia in children under 5 by 93% from 2004 to 2022; and mortality rate of children under 5 by 63% from 2004 to 2018.
These, and other, accomplishments are attributed to a data-driven, adaptive and comprehensive approach to malaria control and elimination consisting of controlling mosquito populations on the island, such as indoor insecticidal spraying in households, distributing and hanging insecticide-treated nets, surveying and eliminating mosquito breeding grounds, and diagnosing and treating malaria cases.
In addition to developing and improving the workforce of Equatorial Guinea’s National Malaria Control Program, the BIMEP has contributed to strengthening health systems by supporting the national health information system, that involved developing district health plans and systems and establishing a National Institute of Public Health.
“The strong and enduring partnership has also helped strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Health in not only leading malaria control but its health system more broadly,” said Dr. Christopher Schwabe, CEO and president of MCD.
Despite challenges, the continued commitment of and investments from the Government of Equatorial Guinea and the private sector have sustained progress toward the country’s goal of ultimately eliminating malaria.
“The award-winning BIMEP is one of many examples of how Chevron is contributing to improving health care delivery in communities where we operate,” said Bernardo R. Cuaresma, vice president of Noble Energy EG Ltd. “We are proud to have been part of a project that has made significant improvement toward the eradication of malaria in Equatorial Guinea.”
About MCD Global Health
MCD Global Health (MCD), a nonprofit public health organization established in Maine in 1966, grew to become an international organization in 1977 and has since worked in more than 50 countries around the world. MCD’s expertise is rooted in a variety of health areas, including malaria, water, sanitation, and hygiene, cervical cancer, pandemic response, telehealth and technology, health systems strengthening, community health workers, and much more.