His Excellency, Ambassador Kwacha Chisiza, received Prof. Samuel Kariuki, Continental Lead Africa and Eastern Africa Director for Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), during a courtesy call at the Chancery. DNDi is a non-profit organization that focuses on developing new treatments for neglected diseases that disproportionately affect people in low-income countries. Founded in 2003, DNDi collaborates with various stakeholders, including governments, research institutions, and pharmaceutical companies, to address the urgent health needs of vulnerable populations.

The meeting’s purpose was to deliberate on critical areas of collaboration in the fields of research and development, such as Malawi’s acceptance of the use of a newly developed medication called Fexinidazole for sleeping sickness, capacity building, technological transfer for local health manufacturing, workforce strengthening for Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and regulatory science.

The meeting underscored the significance of aligning Africa’s discussions with the objectives of TICAD9 to advance sustainable development and the importance of international support and collaboration to achieve the health objectives of Universal Health Coverage in the region.