AngloGold Ashanti commemorates World Malaria Day

AGA Management Celebrates World Malaria Day with Community

AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) Obuasi Mine partnered with several organizations to celebrate World Malaria Day. The event included a grand durbar and a mini clinic. It took place on April 25, under the theme: “Malaria Ends with Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite.”

Mr. Edmund Oduro Agyei, AGA's Community Relations Manager, spoke at the event. He highlighted the success of their Malaria Control Programme started in 2005. Households in Obuasi are regularly sprayed to prevent malaria.

The initiative is part of AGA’s Socio-Economic Plan for better healthcare. Mr. Agyei urged the community to follow health advice and take preventive measures against malaria.

Mrs. Charity Afrifaa-Adjei, Director of Obuasi East Health Directorate, gave a keynote address. She warned that malaria is a dangerous disease caused by mosquito bites. Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable to severe effects.

Mrs. Afrifaa-Adjei praised AGA's Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) program for reducing malaria cases. She encouraged the community to reinvest efforts in fighting malaria and emphasized that it is both preventable and curable.

Mr. Ignatius Williams from AGAMaL shared their goal of eliminating malaria in Obuasi East Municipality by 2030. He noted that before AGAMaL's efforts, about 8,000 AGA workers suffered from malaria.

Over three years, there has been a 74 percent reduction in cases among workers. AGAMaL launched an 11-week IRS operation using new insecticides that are odorless and colorless.

The IRS program has expanded to 16 districts across Ghana with Global Fund support, costing $7 million annually from 2024 to 2026. Selected districts were chosen based on high burden areas using national strategies.

AGAMaL also employs Larval Source Management (LSM) and Social Behavior Change interventions against malaria. These methods treat water bodies to reduce mosquito populations while educating communities about prevention.

Everyone is encouraged to join the fight against malaria for better health outcomes in Obuasi.