Your Excellencies,

As footballers, we know the importance of fighting to the end, up until that final whistle blows. And we know that what happens in those last moments can cost you the match.

The fight against polio in Africa is at that same defining moment – the final moments before victory, when staying focused and pushing harder than before are all the more important.

Polio once paralyzed thousands of African children every year. Now it stands on the edge of eradication, thanks to your leadership, global support, frontline workers, families, and safe and effective vaccines. We have come so far, and it is in this spirit that we call on you to help reach the ultimate victory – a polio-free Africa.

Persistent outbreaks across the continent continue to put children at risk. We know that as long as one child is infected, all children are at risk.

We urge you to keep polio eradication at the top of your national agendas by strengthening routine immunization and surveillance systems, and by working closely with neighboring countries, so outbreaks are detected and stopped quickly. And we urge you to build trust in vaccines and protect the frontline health workers who serve your communities.

Winning the fight against polio in Africa will demonstrate the strength of your nations’ leadership, unity, and resilience. It will show the world what is possible when we come together for children. Above all, it will mean that no child on this continent will ever again be paralyzed by a preventable disease.

Let’s score the ultimate goal. Let us kick out polio for good.