Ethiopia is to host an international conference on child survival from January 16th to 18th in Addis Abeba.

The conference, which will be held under the theme African Leadership for Child Survival: A Promise Renewed, is expected to draw 54 African health ministers and global experts on the issue. The previous conference was held in Washington, D.C in June 2012.

Since 1990, the number of child deaths in sub-Saharan Africa has dropped by 39pc, according to UNICEF. However, many African countries are not within the reach of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aims to reduce the under five mortality rate by two thirds.

However, Ethiopia has more than halved its child mortality rates since 1990 through campaigns to increase the number of health workers and clinics throughout the country. According to the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey, that figure has been slashed by more than half to 8.8pc.