Public Health Leadership: An essential tool towards malaria elimination
1
UP Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
2
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
3
Global Health Consultant, Coach Africa, Kampala, Uganda
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Malaria remains a major global public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths in 2024, the majority occurring in Africa (1). Progress towards elimination has stalled due to drug and insecticide resistance, climate variability, underfunding, and health system constraints. South Africa and several Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries are prioritised for near-term elimination. Although South Africa has achieved reductions, local transmission persists, compounded by recent floods and extreme weather events. Effective public health leadership is a critical but under-recognised determinant of programme success. The Advanced Leadership Programme for the Elimination of Malaria (ALPEM) is supporting leadership development to address identified gaps in priority setting, decision-making, health promotion and programme management.
METHODS:
This session synthesises evidence from the ALPEM project, WHO malaria surveillance, and SADC elimination initiatives. Presentations draw on mixed methods, including programme monitoring data, leadership intervention case studies, and regional epidemiological analyses from WHO, national departments of health and SADC sources. The session emphasises interactive dialogue linking empirical evidence with leadership and health promotion frameworks tailored to Southern African contexts.
RESULTS:
Findings indicate that strengthened leadership capacity improves strategic planning, stakeholder coordination and adaptive management within malaria programmes. Leadership-driven community engagement enhances uptake of prevention and case management, while cross-sectoral leadership development bridges technical malaria control and broader health system governance including cross border collaborations. Improved leadership is associated with more data-driven decision-making and increased responsiveness during outbreaks and elimination phases.
DISCUSSION:
Leadership is a critical enabler of malaria elimination. Integrating leadership development with technical interventions strengthens system resilience against emerging threats such as climate change, resistance and funding volatility. Lessons from the ALPEM demonstrate the value of leadership capacity building beyond malaria, supporting sustainable health system strengthening across disease programmes in South Africa, the SADC region and beyond.
Malaria remains a major global public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths in 2024, the majority occurring in Africa (1). Progress towards elimination has stalled due to drug and insecticide resistance, climate variability, underfunding, and health system constraints. South Africa and several Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries are prioritised for near-term elimination. Although South Africa has achieved reductions, local transmission persists, compounded by recent floods and extreme weather events. Effective public health leadership is a critical but under-recognised determinant of programme success. The Advanced Leadership Programme for the Elimination of Malaria (ALPEM) is supporting leadership development to address identified gaps in priority setting, decision-making, health promotion and programme management.
METHODS:
This session synthesises evidence from the ALPEM project, WHO malaria surveillance, and SADC elimination initiatives. Presentations draw on mixed methods, including programme monitoring data, leadership intervention case studies, and regional epidemiological analyses from WHO, national departments of health and SADC sources. The session emphasises interactive dialogue linking empirical evidence with leadership and health promotion frameworks tailored to Southern African contexts.
RESULTS:
Findings indicate that strengthened leadership capacity improves strategic planning, stakeholder coordination and adaptive management within malaria programmes. Leadership-driven community engagement enhances uptake of prevention and case management, while cross-sectoral leadership development bridges technical malaria control and broader health system governance including cross border collaborations. Improved leadership is associated with more data-driven decision-making and increased responsiveness during outbreaks and elimination phases.
DISCUSSION:
Leadership is a critical enabler of malaria elimination. Integrating leadership development with technical interventions strengthens system resilience against emerging threats such as climate change, resistance and funding volatility. Lessons from the ALPEM demonstrate the value of leadership capacity building beyond malaria, supporting sustainable health system strengthening across disease programmes in South Africa, the SADC region and beyond.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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