Burkina Faso: Women's leadership, a strategic catalyst for malaria elimination

In Ouagadougou, women's organizations, health authorities, and technical partners gathered at a multisectoral forum organized as part of the Essential Voices | Women's Leadership Against Malaria initiative. The goal: to institutionalize gender in national malaria control policies and position women's leadership as a key lever for elimination in Burkina Faso.

Ouagadougou, February 17, 2026 – In a country where malaria remains the leading cause of medical consultations and hospitalizations, elimination cannot be achieved without the structured mobilization of women, who are a key target group for malaria, as well as children under the age of 5. It was in this context that the multisectoral forum "Women & Malaria: Transforming Female Leadership into a Force for Malaria Elimination" was held, organized as part of the Essential Voices | Women's Leadership Against Malaria initiative, led by Speak Up Africa and funded by the Global Fund.

A major health challenge in Burkina Faso

According to the Ministry of Health's 2024 statistical yearbook, malaria accounts for: 

• 33.6% of medical consultations;
• 43.9% of hospitalizations;
• 10.5 million confirmed cases in 2024;
• 3,523 deaths, 75% of which were children under the age of 5 

These figures highlight the urgent need for a coordinated, inclusive, and sustainable response.

Women, who are at the forefront of households and communities, are responsible for prevention, promoting the correct use of mosquito nets, providing care support, and monitoring the treatment of family members. However, their strategic role is still insufficiently integrated into decision-making and budgetary processes.

A forum for moving from commitment to institutionalization

Bringing together SP-Palu, sectoral ministries, technical and financial partners, community leaders, and civil society organizations, the forum provided a structured framework for dialogue and engagement. In the fight against malaria, women are both priority targets and key actors. As such, they must play a full and active role in strategic decision-making, as community influencers, guardians of prevention, and trusted intermediaries. 

This change, driven by women from these communities, is based on three essential conditions:

• The structuring of their leadership.
• Their continued integration into decision-making spaces.
• Recognizing female leadership as a driver of healthcare performance.

This forum, held as part of the Essential Voices | Women's Leadership Against Malaria initiative, highlighted the importance of community action in health governance. Because lasting change stems from the connection and alignment between policies and dialogue with communities, with a view to jointly developing appropriate strategies.  

As stated by Irène Zoungrana, President of the Vision Nouvelle Association:

"To defeat malaria in Burkina Faso, women must be involved in the fight."

Institutionalizing female leadership: a strategic priority

At the heart of the discussion: how can female leadership be turned into a sustainable institutional lever?

This forum identified three priority areas:

• Prevention and community mobilization
• Communication, advocacy, and resource mobilization
• Women's leadership and coordination

The validation of a roadmap accompanied by a monitoring mechanism marks a significant step forward toward a structured and measurable contribution by women's organizations to the national goal of elimination. 

For Roukiattou Ouédraogo, Regional Advocacy Advisor at Speak Up Africa:

"Giving women a voice means recognizing their ability to influence public policy, mobilize resources, and bridge the gap between community realities and national decisions."

A multisectoral approach to accelerate progress towards 2030

Eliminating malaria is not solely the responsibility of the health sector. It involves institutions responsible for gender issues, local authorities, religious and traditional leaders, the media, and the private sector.

The representative of SP-Palu, Dr. Sidzabda Kompaoré, welcomed this mobilization, emphasizing:

"This forum is a major opportunity to strengthen coordination and accelerate action toward the elimination of malaria."

In the context of digital transformation, community mobilization and digital communication have also emerged as strategic levers for amplifying impact.

Call to action

Community organizations (Association Vision Nouvelle, ONIDS, Association KAMY), under the leadership of the Réseau des Voix EssentiElles du Burkina Faso, call on all stakeholders, public institutions, technical and financial partners, community organizations, and opinion leaders to:

• Strengthen the systematic integration of gender into health policies;
• Support the implementation of the roadmap for women's CSOs;
• Investing in women's leadership as a sustainable lever for health impact.

Eliminating malaria by 2030 is possible.
It will require strong, coordinated, and inclusive multisectoral mobilization.

And at the heart of this mobilization: women.