Eswatini and Global Fund Launch New Grants to Accelerate Progress Against AIDS, TB and Malaria and Strengthen Systems for Health
26 September 2024
MBABANE – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) and the government of Eswatini launched the implementation of three new grants worth a total US$46.7 million for the period 2024-2027. The funding will help sustain and expand Eswatini’s progress against AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, and strengthen health and community systems across the country over the 2024-2027 period, in line with Eswatini’s strategic national plans.
The grants were officially launched today in Mbabane during a ceremony presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Housing and development, and members of Parliament. In attendance were also representatives of the governments of the United Kingdom and of the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations, as well as civil society organizations, members of the Eswatini Country Coordinating Mechanism, other health partners and Global Fund staff.
The grants will be implemented by the National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA) and the Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organizations (CANGO). The Ministry of Health of Eswatini, civil society partners and communities most affected by the three diseases will support implementation.
“On behalf of the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini, I would like to acknowledge all the support that we receive on behalf of Emaswati from the Global Fund,” said Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla. “I would also like to recognize all other bilateral and multilateral partners who support his Majesty’s government in her efforts to make Eswatini a healthier and productive nation.”
“We express our appreciation for the strong commitment that the government and people of Eswatini have shown to the Global Fund partnership,” said Mark Edington, Head of Grant Management at the Global Fund. “We recognize the efforts made to fight the three diseases and to strengthen systems for health under the leadership of the Honorable Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula, with support from many in-country partners, including NERCHA and CANGO. We are also immensely grateful to our donors for their unfailing support over the years.”
For HIV and AIDS, the new grants aim at reaching universal access to prevention care and HIV treatment, including for vulnerable populations, eliminating mother to child transmission, and developing programs for zero tolerance against HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
For TB, the ambition is to reduce mortality rates from 85/100,000 cases to 68/100,000 cases, reduce the cost of TB treatment for patients by 2028, and increase treatment outcomes in drug-sensitive and drug-resistant patients.
For malaria, the objective is to achieve 100% coverage of at risk-populations through vector control, and to develop a malaria surveillance system that detects, investigates and responds to cases quickly. The grant will also support engagement and empowerment of communities to adopt and own malaria elimination interventions.
In addition, to strengthen systems for health and better prepare for future pandemics, the three new grants include support to strengthen key health system pillars such as community systems, health product management, laboratory systems, medical oxygen and respiratory care, and surveillance systems.
This comes on top of US$22 million in funds from the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism, which focuses on support to strengthen systems for health and pandemic preparedness in the country over the 2024-2025 period. These investments have helped mitigate the impact of the pandemic on HIV, TB and malaria services and outcomes, and strengthened disease surveillance systems, laboratories and diagnostics, and medical oxygen facilities, which also help combat other emergencies and infectious diseases such as mpox, cholera and other pathogens.
Eswatini and the Global Fund have been partners since 2003, with cumulative investments of US$388 million to date, achieving significant progress in the fight against AIDS, TB, malaria and COVID-19, and in strengthening systems for health.
On the HIV front, in 2020, Eswatini became the first African country to achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. In 2023, 98% of people living with HIV knew their HIV status, 98% were on antiretroviral treatment and 98% of those on treatment achieved viral suppression. Eswatini is a leader on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), having introduced the injectable Cabotegravir PrEP for adult girls and young women. The country has also scaled-up access to the dapivirine vaginal (DPV) ring across all PrEP facilities.
For TB, cases have declined from 1600/100,000 in 2010 to 325/100,000 in 2022. In 2021, 79% of notified TB cases were successfully treated.
For malaria, in 2023, 100% of suspected malaria cases received a parasitological test. In the same year, 81% of households in the targeted areas received indoor residual spraying. Malaria elimination is a priority in Eswatini’s national development agenda, and the national health policy focuses on elimination strategies within the country and on cross-border transmission.
A donor to the Global Fund, Eswatini has contributed US$6.3 million to the Global Fund to date. In 2022, the country pledged US$1 million for the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment, covering 2023-2025, demonstrating its commitment to alleviating the burden of the three diseases and building strong and resilient health systems.