1. Products From East Africa Presented by Joseph Bazambanza Artemisia Annua East Africa Ltd

2. Artemisia Annua East Africa Ltd (AAEA) Partnership network By building a partnership network, AAEA shall seek to make joint contributions to develop and promote personal, organizational and professional development in meeting identified needs of industry and the community. AAEA shall also encourage its partners to engage in dialogue and action with other members of the network. Guidelines 1. AAEA shall collaborate with other partners to provide training for professional development, in an effort to increase consistency, avoid repetition and unnecessary competition, increase cost-effectiveness, provide networking opportunities. 2. AAEA shall seek to create linkages between local partners and organizations sharing similar purposes and mission, for the purpose of sharing information, strengthening institutional capacity, building alliances, and accessing resources. 3. AAEA shall engage local partners in joint and mutual planning and evaluation processes through which all parties collaboratively identify their own strengths, prioritize the areas in need of improvement, and create their own action plans to achieve the identified goals in a win-win situation.

3. Artemisia Annua East Africa Ltd Partnership Framework A common set of objectives A clearly defined nature of the relationship between the partners A governance framework that defines roles and responsibilities An approach to Stakeholder involvement An approach for regular review A set of guiding principles and guidelines The key areas that we need to be established are: Contracting & Acquisition Coordination & Information Dissemination Management & Executive Reporting Feedback and Improvement Project Reviews & Audits AAEA ltd Services and Coordination

4. A story of A.annua in East Africa Charles Kiruthi proudly gazes over his crop. “I used to grow fruits And beans here,” he says with a smile, “but I will get a better return from this plant. No pests attack it, and until harvesting time it requires very little labour.” Kiruthi, who owns a 10-acre farm in Kiambu in Kenya’s Central province, is one of hundreds of farmers across the country who Have been contracted to grow the Artemisia annua plant. The plant has been grown on a small scale by private companies And research institutions in East Africa for over 10 years, but Operations have been scaled up rapidly since 2004, in response to fears of a global shortage of artemesinin. Source: www.IRINnews.org

5. Growers of A.annua plant in East Africa In East Africa, farmers are reported to be very interested in growing the new cash crop, especially because the coffee market is so slow. In Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda the project is being spearheaded by East African Botanicals, which provides seedlings and supports both large- and small-scale farmers in a bid to rapidly increase the volume of plants. “We have been growing Artemisia annua here at the university since 2002,” said Fidensio Ndegwa, chief technician at the School of Health Sciences at Kenyatta University. “We have also been working with local farmers to increase acreage – we have sold around 10,000 seedlings. We have been researching the plant and its properties for over 10 years and have learned a great deal. We know it contains very valuable ingredients, and yet we are unable to find anyone to sell it to. Source: www.IRINnews.org

6. Unrewarded efforts of individual growers While the benefits of the project are self-evident, there are worrying indications that the coordination of the partners involved in the vital crusade to boost the supply of artemisinin is somewhat lacking. Despite the clamour surrounding the shortage of the valuable plant, it seems that in some cases efforts to grow it are going unrewarded, and even unnoticed, by the major players in the fight against malaria. “There is a farmer in Thika [in Central province] who has 2,000 seedlings and around 65 kilograms of leaf, but there isn’t a market for it,” Ndegwa said, shaking his head. “It’s very confusing, as we know there are people suffering all over Africa. We know this plant is the key, but it’s just going to waste.” Source: www.IRINnews.orgwww.IRINnews.org

7. Whole-leaf A.annua-based drugs Further studies aim to characterise key constituents that contribute to the anti-malarial activity of A. annua, leading to a selection of appropriate varieties or hybrids based on the optimum constituents of artemesinin and other key compounds. Prof. Hassanali of ICIPE is hopeful that this will allow a detailed business plan for large-scale planting and commercial production to be put in place for further production of whole-leaf A. annua-based drugs. Source: ‘New Agriculturist’ online Based on article written by Naftali Kure

8. Whole leaf A.annua may provide an alternative solution Research on a drug based on the whole leaf of A. annua may provide an alternative solution. Scientists at ICIPE, collaborating with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the Natural Uwemba System for Health (NUSAG), a Tanzanian NGO, have been working to provide a cheaper yet efficacious malaria treatment. To make the whole-leaf drug, leaves are ground to a very fine powder and thoroughly mixed, which has proved effective in ensuring that each tablet has a standard dose of the drug. Source: ‘New Agriculturist’ online Based on article written by Naftali Kure

9. Proof-of-concept study results A proof-of-concept study, which commenced in June 2004 and ended in February this year, has yielded encouraging results. Clinical studies involving 48 patients with uncomplicated malaria have shown the whole-leaf drug to have impressive efficacy in treating the disease with no significant side effects. The source plants being used by the team are grown in Arusha, and, encouragingly for African farmers, have been shown to yield a higher concentration of artemisinin than Chinese plants. Ongoing research will hopefully discover how growing conditions affect concentration level. Source: ‘New Agriculturist’ online Based on article written by Naftali Kure

10. Extracted artemisinin from a Novartis partner Novartis partners with East African Botanicals to expand cultivation and extraction of natural ingredient used in anti-malarial Coartem® Contracts To purchase extracted artemisinin stimulate cultivation of more than 1,000 hectares of Artemisia annua in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. "Novartis has proven to be our most important partner as we move to large-scale production of artemisinin in East Africa," said Patrick Henfrey, CEO of Advanced Bio Extracts (ABE). The main operating entities of ABE are African Artemisia (AA) operating in Tanzania, East African Botanicals Kenya and East African Botanicals Uganda. "By placing firm orders for extracted artemisinin, providing financial support for infrastructure improvements, and Delivering technical support and know- how, Novartis has made a major contribution to creating a sustainable market for this key natural ingredient.“ Source: Novartis Media Releases 06/06/2005

11. A field of Artemisia annua in Kenya the AAEA ltd contact Joseph Bazambanza artemisiaannua@inbox.com