West African Health Organization (WAHO), a Specialized Institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), was created on the 9th of July, 1987 and signed in Abuja by the Heads of State and Government.
The Headquarters of WAHO is located in Burkina Faso. Its main objective is the attainment of the highest possible standard and protection of the health of the people in the sub-region through the harmonization of the policies of the Member States.
As part of its yearly workshop to brainstorm to share experiences among member states, WAHO has organised a 2024 workshop for Directors of Health to Address health challenges facing the subregion.
Speaking with some of the participants who explained what the workshop is all about, the Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris explained that the workshop was aimed at sharing experiences with member states who are not established and who are fully established to tackle all kinds of pandemic or disease in the sub-region.
Some of the stakeholders also lend their voices to the needs of the workshop which concerns fifteen member states in the West African region.
According to them, in every outbreak of disease, there is a need for every member state to envisage how to tackle it and as well prepare ahead of time to address it head-on.
Some of the specific objectives of WAHO are to Promote research into the major endemic diseases in the region and undertake activities aimed at controlling these diseases and their education as well as to Promote the training of medical specialists and paramedical personnel and where necessary support the training of future medical graduates among others.
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