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Experts at the 2nd ECOWAS Lassa Fever International Conference (ELFIC2025) have called for stronger multi-sectoral coordination to sustain health security gains in West Africa.
Speaking at the opening of the conference in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Monday, Benjamin Uzochukwu of the Department of Public Health, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), said it is important to strengthen regional collaboration and ensure that countries work together in implementing the International Health Regulations (IHR).
Mr Uzochukwu made a presentation on “Operationalising Multisector Coordination Mechanisms (MCM) for Greater Coordination of International Health Regulation (IHR) Implementation in West Africa.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some progress has been made since the 2019 Abuja conference on Lassa fever.
More diagnostic laboratories have been established across Nigeria, surveillance systems have been strengthened, and international research collaborations, including vaccine trials supported by CEPI and WHO, are expanding.
Mr Uzochukwu reviewed the achievements of a regional health security project supported by the Gates Foundation, which integrated human, animal, and environmental health under the One Health framework.
He said that the project enhanced disease surveillance, strengthened laboratories, and promoted community-led reporting of human and animal health threats in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Similarly, Chinyere Okeke, a lecturer at the Institute of Public Health, UNN, noted that funding gaps, procurement delays and the inability to retain personnel continue to threaten the sustainability of health security initiatives.
Ms Okeke said that community participation is essential in order to mobilise residents for surveillance, risk communication and transparency in data sharing.
She said that strong institutions and flexible funding remain the backbone of health security, adding that domestic investment and coordination are also key to sustaining the momentum.
Monstapha Grorigui, coordinator of the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) Project in Guinea, said the country successfully implemented the project, which began in January 2017, shortly after the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak.
Mr Grorigui noted that the project established five major laboratories for testing epidemic-prone diseases and performing genomic sequencing.
He said it also enhanced human and animal health capacities through the Field Epidemiology Training Programmes at different levels.
He added that the project deployed a robust frontline surveillance platform, decentralised to community levels and integrated into multiple ministries, including Fisheries, Scientific Research and Vocational Education.
Further achievements, he said, include the formation of thematic working groups for surveillance, logistics and communication, as well as sustained support from the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) to ensure results were linked to the wider regional health security framework.
He added that Guinea mounted a rapid response to COVID-19, mobilising $13.2 million, and later supported vaccine procurement during the 2021 yellow fever outbreak.
He, however, acknowledged ongoing challenges such as the need for greater engagement of the Ministry of Environment, stronger participation of women in advanced training, and the sustainability of surveillance platforms across all sectors.
Ali Sani, director of Planning and Health Information at WAHO, said that sustained multisectoral collaboration among the ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment is essential to strengthen disease surveillance and early warning systems.
Mr Sani noted that while progress has been made in improving early warning systems through national action plans and evaluation exercises, several gaps remain, and continuous efforts are needed.
He further stressed the importance of strengthening veterinary services, with technical support from WHO, to ensure their full contribution to One Health initiatives.
He urged countries to mobilise national resources alongside donor support and highlighted the role of structured dialogue, negotiation and ministerial meetings in fostering collaboration.
According to him, although the REDISSE project (2016–2023) laid the groundwork for One Health implementation, continuous effort is required to institutionalise these systems.
Franck Berthe, senior livestock specialist at the World Bank, described the anchoring of health security initiatives within ECOWAS and member states as a key achievement.
Mr Berthe said the establishment of One Health platforms at regional and national levels had fostered coordination across sectors, while Field Epidemiology Training Programmes created a network of trained cohorts capable of working together across borders.
He also pointed to the institutional strengthening of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), adding that this served as a model of a National Public Health Institute, and highlighted the adoption of harmonised laboratory and biosecurity standards in 2017 and 2018.
He added that during COVID-19, the region demonstrated its readiness to respond, with the Pasteur Institute becoming one of the first WHO-accredited testing centres.
He acknowledged, however, that many efforts remain donor-driven, that roles within One Health coordination have sometimes been unclear, and that the environmental sector remains largely absent, with veterinary services still under-resourced.
He recommended embedding project units within health ministries to promote ownership, linking prevention, preparedness and response rather than treating them separately, and aligning with continental strategies such as the Africa Health Strategy 2016–2030, the Africa CDC Strategy 2026 and the Africa Union’s New Public Health Order.
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Mr Berthe also underlined the importance of viewing health security as an investment rather than a cost, stating that every dollar invested in health security yields an estimated return of 1.7 dollars in economic growth.
Meanwhile, Olusegun Adeoye, a pharmacist and allied health expert, who moderated the session, said the One Health approach, though complex, is vital to balancing human, animal and environmental health priorities.
Mr Adeoye stressed that institutionalising this approach is critical to preparing West Africa for future epidemics.
NAN recalls that in spite of these gains, many of the challenges identified in 2019 persist.
A licensed vaccine is still unavailable, diagnostic access remains uneven, and stigma and delayed presentation continue to hinder care.
Funding is still largely donor-driven rather than government-owned, while cross-border coordination and large-scale community-led interventions remain weak.
(NAN)
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