Last week, the Huffington Post and news outlets across Africa published an op-ed by His Excellency John A. Kufuor, former president of Ghana (2001-2009) and the NTD Special Envoy for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases. In the piece, Kufuor describes the huge burden of NTDs in Africa and around the world and discusses the work that needs to be done to end suffering caused by these diseases.

As we mentioned last week, this month marks the one year anniversary of the London Declaration, a time for the global health community to reflect on the progress made in the fight against NTDs and what remains to be done.

“I know that the path is not always easy. Ghana, my home country, suffers from five of these diseases, and as recently as 1989 recorded nearly 190,000 cases of Guinea worm,” says Kufuor in his op-ed. “In 2007, we committed ourselves to eliminating several NTDs – and with strong political commitment, increased resources and international support, we conquered blinding trachoma in 2009 and Guinea worm in 2011. Ghana’s work continues, but its future is bright.”

As reported on AllAfrica.com, Nigeria will be launching its own national plan to control and eliminate in NTDs on February 7.