Eleven of Africa’s most celebrated football legends have united in a powerful open letter to every African Head of State, urging leaders to deliver the final push needed to eradicate polio from the continent.

Published on Thursday, the letter adopts the language of the beautiful game to rally presidents and prime ministers.

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.”

The players reminded leaders that while wild poliovirus was declared eradicated from Africa in 2020, outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) continue in 18 countries, paralyzing hundreds of children in 2024–2025 alone.

They called for urgent action to:

• Keep polio high on national agendas
• Strengthen routine immunisation and surveillance
• Invest in rapid cross-border outbreak response
• Build public trust in vaccines
• Protect frontline health workers

“Winning the fight against polio in Africa will demonstrate the strength of your nations’ leadership, unity, and resilience,” the letter concludes. “Let’s score the ultimate goal. Let us kick out polio for good.”

Signatories include Michael Essien (Ghana), Sébastien Haller (Côte d’Ivoire), Naby Keïta (Guinea), Bruno Ecuele Manga (Gabon), Fabrice Ondoa (Cameroon), and Rodolfo Bodipo Díaz (Equatorial Guinea).

The campaign is backed by Rotary International, WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Observers say the appeal blends sport’s universal language with public health urgency, aiming to inspire political will at a critical juncture in Africa’s fight against polio.