By Sandra Vaaseh (ABUJA)
A total of 67 new outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases were identified across West Africa in 2024, representing an increase of 31.37% compared to 2023.
Executive Director of the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCSDC), Dr. Mamadou Diarrassouba, who made this known in Abuja on Tuesday, while speaking at the opening ceremony of an initial workshop on the establishment of a Technical Advisory Council (TAC) for the Centre.
Dr. Diarrassouba, who said the identification of the 67 diseases was highlighted in the 2024 annual report of the ECOWAS-RCSDC, noted that the two-day meeting was being held at a critical time when the ECOWAS region continued to face numerous health challenges, exacerbated by factors such as climate change, political-social tensions, and humanitarian crises.
He lamented that the impact of these factors on the region’s health systems was considerable, pointing out that as demonstrated by the Ebola outbreaks and the COVID-19 pandemic, “the repercussions of health threats can extend far beyond the health sector, disrupting economic exchanges and livelihoods within West Africa and beyond.”
According to him, the TAC was conceived as a key pillar for ensuring that the actions of the ECOWAS-RCSDC, were guided by scientific excellence and global best practices in public health.
To this end, the workshop, being held at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, would review the mandate and achievements of the RCSDC, discuss the epidemiological situation in ECOWAS, and finalize the terms of reference, the internal regulations, and develop a clear and effective action plan for the TAC.
He noted that it was in realization of the crucial of health issues in regional economic integration that the 47th Conference of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS established the RCSDC, located in Abuja, Nigeria.
The mission of the RCSDC, a specialized autonomous agency placed under the umbrella of the West African Health Organization (WAHO), is to support ECOWAS member states in strengthening their capacities to conduct effective disease surveillance, prepare for and respond to health emergencies, communicate risks, and improve their resilience to epidemic shocks within the region.
By establishing the TAC, “we are taking a strategic step to strengthen the governance of the agency, in line with the ECOWAS Regulation that defines the creation and operational modalities of the RCSDC,” he said.
“The Regional Centre for Disease Surveillance and Control of ECOWAS reaffirms its determination to accomplish its essential mission with rigor and efficiency, building on the scientific guidance and informed recommendations of the TAC. With its close collaboration with all stakeholders, the RCSDC is committed to implementing strategies to strengthen prevention, detection, and response to health threats in our region,” Dr. Diarrassouba said.
In his speech, Nigeria’s Minister and Coordinator of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali PATE, noted that the TAC would be much more than a statutory body as “it will be a dynamic forum for the exchange of scientific knowledge and technical expertise,” adding that its membership would comprise distinguished regional and international experts in public health who would play “an instrumental role in ensuring that the Centre’s operations reflect the highest standards of scientific excellence and operational efficiency, and providing strategic recommendations to the Executive Director and the Governing Board of the RCSDC.”
The Minister, who was represented by the Director-General of Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, said the contributions of members of the TAC would be pivotal in “pooling critical knowledge, ensuring that our regional strategies are responsive to emerging threats, and fostering a culture of continuous innovation and collaboration across the region.”
On his part, the Director of the West African Regional Coordination Centre of Africa CDC, Dr. Kokou Alinon, noted that TAC was expected to be instrumental in supporting the ECOWAS RCSDC to achieve its mandate.
He expressed the hope that members of the Council would provide strategic guidance, technical expertise and support to the Regional Centre as they work together to strengthen regional health security.
Other speakers at the occasion included the representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Oumar Alieu Touré; Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency, Mr. Musa Sani Nuhu; representative of the Director of the WHO Regional Office for Africa, Dr. Walter Mulombo and; representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), among others.