9 - Can Africa’s Ability to Leap forward in Emerging Technologies be extended to Managing Mosquito-Borne Diseases?

The world today is embroiled between managing progress and crisis; emerging technologies have enabled parts of Africa to leap forward to solve developmental problems. Malaria is been conquered the world over but imagining the same for Africa requires a long-term organization structure that must be sustained at high cost. Borrowing a leave from the emerging technologies bearing fruit on the continent could help turn the tide on malaria. To avoid suspicion bedeviled other technologies especially in food and medicine, Africans must be involved and indeed be in forefront of developing some of the current innovative technologies for the future that include sterile male releases, cytoplasmic incompatibility provided by Wolbachia, genetic modification that limits mosquito reproduction and enhances pathogen/malaria refractoriness in mosquitoes. These and future innovations may get the continent closer to its goal without going through past challenges.