Developing a sustainable commercial market for ITNs

Situation:

One approach to scaling-up of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) is through support to the commercial sector to raise overall access to ITNs. The commercial components of our Mozambique and Uganda programmes aim to support the private sector, allowing them to market their own brands. Support goes directly to net distributors who feed the retail market, with a focus on rural markets and promotion of LLINs.

Response:

The Malaria Consortium is involved in developing a sustainable market for ITN delivery in Mozambique and Uganda, as well as advising on scaling up malaria control programmes in Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Tanzania. An approach to scale-up of ITNs is through support to the commercial sector to raise overall access to ITNs. The commercial components of our Mozambique and Uganda programmes aim to support the private sector, allowing them to market their own brands. Support goes directly to net distributors, via the retail market, with an aim to expand access in rural markets and a focus on LLINs.

In Uganda, the AFFORD Health Marketing Initiative (USAID funded, led by a consortium of partners including the Malaria Consortium and Johns Hopkins University) distributes millions of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) with PMI support. The objective is to support Uganda to achieve the national and Presidents Malaria Initiative (PMI) target of 85% of pregnant women and children under-five sleeping under an ITN by 2010. The strategy is to distribute nets through ANCs to pregnant women, to use a community based distribution network through civil society organizations (NGOs/FBOs) and to increase availability through the commercial sector thereby strengthening local commerce.

In Mozambique, the Malaria Consortium's DFID-funded programme is developing linkages between national distributors and international manufacturers of quality LLIN and ITN. These linkages are supported by limited incentives to encourage entry and limit the risk for companies on the nascent commercial market for nets. In this way, the quantity and range of nets available to the public, a public encouraged to become increasingly discerning through supportive marketing and mobilization messages, is increasing. Distributors are encouraged and supported in the design of innovative ideas to extending outreach into more rural markets.

Refer to AFFORD, Developing a sustainable market for ITNs in Mozambique, pages.

Photos: William Daniels/Dolce Vita and Malaria Consortium