The West African Health Organization (WAHO) has urged countries in West and Central Africa to intensify collaboration in combating public health threats that transcend national boundaries, as it kicked off a major regional initiative supported by the World Bank.
The call was made on Tuesday 17 June 2025 in Abuja during the inaugural regional learning event of the Health Security Program for Western and Central Africa, a forum that brought together public health authorities, regional agencies, and development partners to enhance preparedness and build a coordinated health response framework across the region.
The program, backed by a $500 million World Bank facility, is designed to strengthen surveillance systems, improve emergency preparedness, and build long-term resilience against outbreaks and other health emergencies in a region frequently challenged by cross-border disease transmission.
Speaking at the forum, Rifat Hassan, Practice Manager for Health, Nutrition, and Population at the World Bank for West and Central Africa, explained that the financing package approved in December 2023 builds on years of World Bank engagement, especially after the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic.
She said: “This is a $500 million commitment to help countries better prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats.
“We’ve seen the lessons from COVID-19, and this is our way of supporting countries to be better prepared.”
She acknowledged progress made under previous initiatives such as the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) project, but pointed out that considerable challenges persist, including gaps in laboratory capacity, emergency response mechanisms, and workforce training.
According to her, the program is anchored on four main strategic pillars through scaling up the One Health approach that integrates human, animal, and environmental health; reinforcing regional institutions and cross-border coordination addressing persistent challenges like gender inequity and antimicrobial resistance; and aligning health security efforts with broader health system strengthening.
“This initiative is more than just financial support, it’s a new way of working together through knowledge sharing, coordinated action, and building resilient systems,” Hassan said.
She noted that while the program has initially launched in three countries alongside WAHO, more countries from the Sahel and Central Africa are expected to join in the coming months.
“This is a seven-year program. The goal is to build a region-wide coalition of health actors, capable of handling outbreaks while sustaining essential health services,” she said.
She added that the program will enhance early detection and reporting, develop reliable laboratory networks, and establish protocols to maintain health service continuity during emergencies.
Dr. Jide Idris, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), who spoke on behalf of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, said regional cooperation is essential for managing public health crises, noting, “Health security isn’t just a national issue, it’s a regional priority.
“Diseases don’t respect borders. We’re dealing with Lassa fever, meningitis, cholera, and remnants of COVID-19. These cannot be managed by one country acting alone.”
He noted that Nigeria had improved its health security capacity, as measured by the Joint External Evaluation (JEE), from 39 percent in 2017 to 54 percent in 2023, due to ongoing implementation of the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS).
The country is currently developing NAPHS 2, which will run from 2025 to 2030 and focus more on strengthening state and local-level capacities.
“Our approach includes emergency preparedness, laboratory strengthening, surveillance, and advancing the One Health framework.
“But without sustainable funding, these efforts can’t be maintained. That’s why this World Bank support is crucial,” Idris said.
He emphasized that preparedness is an urgent necessity, given the continuing risks of infectious diseases in the region.
“We cannot afford to work in silos. Cross-border threats demand cross-border responses. That’s what this program is about building a trained workforce and creating the structures to support timely and effective responses.”
The regional learning event, which included public health officials from across West and Central Africa, served as a platform for peer learning and sharing best practices on surveillance, diagnostics, infection prevention, and emergency operations.
Participants discussed how to strengthen national public health institutes and integrate lessons from past outbreaks into forward-looking strategies.
WAHO, the specialized health agency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is leading the coordination of the new health security framework, ensuring alignment with regional health goals and fostering collaboration among member states.
Officials say the success of the initiative will depend not only on institutional capacity but also on political will and the establishment of cross-sector partnerships that link health, agriculture, and the environment under the One Health umbrella.
The World Bank said it will continue to work closely with WAHO and participating countries to provide technical support, coordinate development partners, and monitor implementation over the seven-year duration of the program.
