On World NTD Day, I was honoured to be recognised by the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, the Global First Ladies Alliance and The End Fund, for the Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s efforts in bringing NTD-education into maternal health check-ups, strong advocacy for investment in WASH services, and helping to recruit more partners and leaders to the fight against NTDs, including the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria. 

The global commitment to end NTDs in the past decade has made for undeniable positive development. As World NTD Week continues, we celebrate our progress, while advocating for the work that remains. 

Therefore, I am excited to welcome the launch of the Kigali Declaration on neglected tropical diseases – a high-level political declaration that aims to mobilise political will and secure commitments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3 target on NTDs and to deliver the targets set out in the World Health Organization’s Neglected Tropical Disease Roadmap (2021-2030).

So far forty-three countries have eliminated at least one NTD, with 600 million people no longer requiring treatment for NTDs. Some of these diseases have plagued humanity for centuries, proving that with dedication and perseverance ending NTDs is possible. 

The Kigali Declaration allows us to build on these previous achievements by implementing country ownership, highlighting private sector partnership and multilateral collaboration, and putting individuals and communities at the centre of the NTD response. 

I am proud to pledge my, and my Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s ongoing commitment to advocating for embedding NTD services and interventions in our national health systems, ensuring the prioritisation of programmes to prevent, diagnose and treat NTDs are fully resourced and fully integrated, and that women, young people, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented groups are included in this decision-making.  

We are aware that NTDs are diseases of poverty and inequity. By tackling NTDs through political and policy engagement we will reduce poverty, address inequity, strengthen health systems, and build resilient communities, bringing us closer to achieving universal health coverage – these are a few of the many global health security benefits in supporting national NTD programmes. 

The efforts to tackle NTDs are a global health success story, but there is still a lot more work to be done before the world is free of NTDs. The Kigali declaration is for, and in service of, the 1.7 billion people who continue to suffer from NTDs. 

We must hold our ministers accountable, and ask them how the country is working to implement the Kigali Declaration for a brighter future for all. 

#EndTheNeglect #WorldNTDDay #BeatNTDS #100percentCommitted #LightUpTheWorld