ABUJA, NIGERIA-/ The Annual Meeting of National coordinating Institutions of Economic community of West African States (ECOWAS) nations opened in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Tuesday to validate the regional Epidemic and Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan.
Organised by the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) in partnership with The World Bank, the four-day meeting, being attended by Directors of the National Coordinating Institutions (NCIs) of 15 ECOWAS member states, is also expected to discuss and validate the ECOWAS inter-institutional Communication Strategy, and the regulation on the shipment of biological samples in the ECOWAS Region.
Director-General of WAHO, Prof Stanley Okolo explained at the opening ceremony that the network of preparedness of combating any Epidemic of Ebola, Lasa Fever and other outbreak is stronger when is confronted as regional network.
He noted that the directors of the NCIs have been meeting before now to synergies in building capacity and share ideals on emergency.
In a chat with journalists at the event, Director of Public Health Department of WAHO, Dr Carlos Brito said the meeting will see to setting up a proper regulations for transporting Biological sample across the region saying what was obtainable now is global regulation to build a common space in Africa on Disease control.
In his welcome remarks the Director General and the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control Dr. Chikwe Ihekweaz said the meeting will discuss the role of disease surveillance, laboratory activities, and incident management systems.
He raised concern with the increasing threat of disease outbreaks in African.
“Ebola in DRC, Lassa in Nigeria and public health challenges such as AMR, there is no better time than now for our continent to be better prepared and . . To be better prepared, we need coordination, ownership, science based and competent public health institutes”
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweaz disclosed that Nigeria has been having solid working relationship with the Regional Health body.
“Our relationship with WAHO has continued to grow and with the establishment and operationalisation of the RCDC, we have stronger coordination”.
The background and rationale for the annual meeting is the fact that West Africa is characterized by frequent outbreaks of epidemics of emerging diseases. For instance, in 2018, ECOWAS member states reported outbreaks of Cholera, Dengue, Lassa fever and Measles, as well as other health emergencies capable of threatening regional stability.
The health crises also reveal countries’ shortcomings in prevention, diagnosis, surveillance, early detection, preparedness and response to epidemics and other health emergencies.
It was against the backdrop of the need to strengthen the capacity of ECOWAS Member States to meet their health security requirements that the 47 ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State decided to establish in May 2015 in Accra, Ghana, the Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (ECOWAS-RCSDC) and mandated the WAHO to oversee its implementation.
The functioning of this specialized ECOWAS agency is expected to be based on the NCIs which combine four main public health functions: i) Surveillance and early warning; ii) laboratories; iii) human resources capacity building in Member States and the ECOWAS Regional Rapid Response team (ERRRT); as well as iv) research.
The Abuja meeting will be rounded off on December 14 with the presentation of the overview of antimicrobial resistance, among other conclusions and recommendations.
Credit: NATIONAL ACCORD