Press Release
Dar es Salaam, 14 July 2008

Koffi Olomidé Named Goodwill Ambassador for MIM
Acclaimed Congolese artiste Koffi Olomidé has been named as the first Goodwill Ambassador for the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) and the upcoming Fifth Pan-African Malaria Conference to be held Nairobi, Kenya, from 2 to 6 November 2009.

Mr Olomidé mission will be to promote awareness of the conference and raise visibility of this forum which provides unique opportunities for malaria scientists, policy makers, funding partners and other stakeholders to meet and exchange ideas, form scientific collaborations and partnerships.

Announcing the appointment, Prof Francine Ntoumi, MIM Secretariat Coordinator, said “We are very pleased that Mr Olomidé has accepted to devote some of his time and energy to promote MIM’s work in advancing malaria research, advocate for increased utilization of research findings and, allocation of more resources by both local and international partners. It is important that African research efforts in finding lasting solution to fight this disease that continues to cost Africa so much, both socially and economically are correctly acknowledged. ”

Accepting the appointment, Mr Olomidé said “I feel very honoured to represent MIM on this mission. I have grown up in a malaria prevalent region. I have suffered several times from malaria and also I have seen children dying from this disease. I have also seen how our pregnant mothers suffer. People have suffered so many times from malaria, there has been so much death to such an extent losing a child’s life from this disease is commonplace. This is heartbreaking”

“So I felt very privileged when MIM approached me to become their ambassador and  I accepted unconditionally and with passion as I want to actively participate in advocating and promoting the work of African malaria researchers and their partners who are leading the search for appropriate and affordable solutions  to  rid African communities of malaria ” he added.

Born in 1956 in Kisangani, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Koffi Olomidé grew up in Kinshasa, the capital. He learned singing and playing guitar at a young age. Taking inspirations from local celebrities at that time, he debuted with a song called Onia which was followed by records Asso and Princesse ya Senza. These records put Olomidé in the limelight and earned him performances with such popular bands as Zaïko Langa Langa and Viva La Musica, before he decided to go solo. He produced his first album entitled “Ngounda” in 1983; three years later he formed his now famous band Quartier Latin. This marked the beginning of a successful international career for Olomidé as a famous composer and show-man.

Koffi Olomidé is one of Africa’s best selling artists; with record performances both in Africa Europe, and North America. Olomidé has won four Kora Awards, given annually for musical achievement in sub-Saharan Africa. In the 2005 Kora Awards, he was named Africa’s Best Artist of the decade.

The upcoming Pan-African Malaria Conference, jointly organised by MIM and Kenya Medical Research Institute, will bring together nearly 2000 malaria researchers and control experts from malaria-endemic countries in Africa, as well as malaria scientists, administrators, and representatives from private foundations, governments and international organizations from all corners of the world.

Under the theme “Building Knowledge for Action", the Conference will provide a unique forum for communication, exchange of ideas and information, particularly with regard to dissemination of malaria research results; formation of scientific collaborations and public private partnerships; increasing international responses towards allocation of resources for malaria research and control; translation of the research results to operational guidelines and policies; reporting of field operational problems for translation to researchable questions; and enhancing malaria awareness and status on the international political and development agendas.

MIM is an alliance of individuals, funding partners and four autonomous constituents namely: MIM/TDR, MIMCom, MR4 and the MIM Secretariat. Established in 1997 in Dakar, Senegal, MIM is working towards strengthening and sustaining through collaborative research and training, the capacity of malaria-endemic countries in Africa to carry out research that is required to develop and improve tools for malaria control and to bridge the research-control interphase. 

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MIM has new Secretariat Coordinator
15 August 2007

Dr Francine Ntoumi has been announced as the new Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Secretariat Coordinator effective from 15 August 2007. She joins MIM, from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), where she has been Senior Scientific Officer.

"Being one of the first proud beneficiaries of the MIM initiative, I am excited to be given an opportunity to work for the MIM fraternity. MIM has and continues to play a very important role in building a pool of African malaria researchers who are taking the fight against malaria into all frontiers. Their input is crucial and they have to contribute to the global research malaria agenda", said Dr Ntoumi.

As Coordinator, Dr Ntoumi will be the operator in-charge for the MIM Secretariat on advocacy, resource mobilization and raising awareness for the malaria cause among stakeholders in Africa and globally; promoting malaria R&D capacity strengthening; enhancing networking and coordination among MIM constituents and other malaria research and control alliances; and in promoting African involvement and commitment into the Initiative. Dr Ntoumi will be assisted by a Communications Officer, an Executive Assistant and Information and Technology Officer.

Dr Ntoumi, a Congolese national, has vast experience in malaria research, capacity building, management and leadership. Prior to her position as Senior Scientific Officer for EDCTP, she was Director of Research/Associate Professor and Malaria Research Leader at the Medical Laboratory, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon and the University of Tübingen, Germany from 2000-2005; Senior Molecular Biologist, Malaria Group, Centre Medical de Recherchés de Franceville, Gabon; and Post doctoral fellow, Experimental Parasitology, Institute Pasteur, France. She has a Masters degree and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Paris VI, France. Before that she earned her undergraduate degree in her native Congo (Brazzaville). Over the years she has worked and taught in different institutions in France, Gabon, Germany, The Netherlands, and Congo where she still teaches at Marien Ngouabi University. She has mentored over a dozen postgraduate students, mostly at PhD and postdoctoral levels.

Dr Ntoumi speaks and writes excellent French, is fluent in English and German and of course excellent in Lingala and Lari, the main Congolese national languages.

“This is the right time for Dr Ntoumi to come into the Secretariat as we work towards repositioning MIM for more efficient performance to conform to contemporary scene for malaria capacity building and R&D in Africa. Her passion for facilitating development of scientific capacity will be the greatest asset she will bring in” said Prof Wen Kilama, Managing Trustee of AMANET, which currently hosts the MIM Secretariat. He further added that “AMANET wished to genuinely reach out to Francophone Africa: Francine will be a great asset in this regard”.

She has served on several international committees in various capacities: Member, MIM/TDR Task Force (2003-present); Member, AMANET Scientific Coordinating Committee (2001-2005); Member, Scientific Advisory Board for MIM (2003-2005); Deputy Chair, Developing Countries Coordinating Committee of EDCTP (2003-2005); Coordinator, Network on Ethics on Biomedical Research (NEBRA), Central African chapter (2005-2006) and coordinator for the Malaria Immunology and Pathogenesis in Africa Consortium (MIMPAC) involving Seven (7) African institutions and European partners (2004-2005) to name a few. She also serves as reviewer for several scientific journals.