OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, 21 August 2024 /African Media Agency (AMA) –TED2024, a hallmark event celebrating 40 years of innovation, ingenuity, creativity, courage, and generosity, took place in Vancouver, Canada in April, and featured Africa’s esteemed, and leading champion against malaria, Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté as a speaker.
A closed event at the time, Prof. Diabate’s TED talk, titled “How to End Malaria”, went live on TED.com on Tuesday, August 20, at 11am ET (3pm GMT) in line with World Mosquito Day, 2024.
Photo Credit: Jasmina Tomic / TED
Hailing from Burkina Faso, Prof. Diabaté is Head of Medical Entomology and Parasitology at the Research Institute in Health Sciences (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé – IRSS), in Bobo-Dioulasso. His acclaimed research work as Principal Investigator of Target Malaria Burkina Faso has earned him global recognition, including prestigious speaking engagements at Harvard University, interviews by prestigious international and national media, including national TV channels in Burkina Faso; CNN, BBC, CBC, The New York Times, Le Monde, Financial Times, CNBC; as well as participation in several documentaries featured on Netflix.
Malaria, a relentless scourge claiming a child’s life every minute, exacts a devastating toll, with over 600,000 deaths and 200 million cases annually, primarily affecting African communities, especially children and pregnant women.
In his TED2024 talk, Prof. Diabaté aims to catalyse transformative change in global health by highlighting Target Malaria’s innovative approach using gene drive technology and emphasising collaboration and African voices’ centrality in the fight against malaria.
Later this year, Prof. Diabaté will also be featured on Netflix’s “What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates,’’ a series that explores the impact of AI, the spread of misinformation, income inequality, and advancement in disease eradications.
Reflecting on the global attention his work is receiving, “I am humbled and equally energised to continue my mission to eliminate malaria in Africa. It’s a testament to the importance of our collective efforts to use human ingenuity to not only end malaria, but to also improve global health and build the next generations of African scientists,” said Prof. Diabaté.
To watch his talk at TED 2024, click here: go.ted.com/abdoulayediabate.
