Improving access to specialised medical care and reducing the need for patients to seek treatment outside West Africa are among the priorities of a three-day regional workshop convened by the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the specialised Institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responsible for health issues. The meeting, which opened on 9 November 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria, aims to finalise harmonised subspecialty training modules for eight professional colleges and the African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES). 

A delegation from the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), led by its Director General, Professor Palokinam T. PITCHE, paid a courtesy visit to Dr Salma Ibrahim ANAS, Special Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Health, at the State House in Abuja on 4 November 2026.

The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss ways of strengthening regional cooperation, particularly in maternal and child health, local production of health products, and health workforce development.

The Director General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), Prof. Palokinam T. PITCHE, led a delegation to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) in Abuja on 2 November 2026 to discuss support for health emergency preparedness and response and strengthen coordination with national authorities and technical partners.

Access to a competent health professional should not depend on where a person lives. Bringing that goal closer to reality is the focus of the 11th Statutory Meeting of the Regional Council for Health Professionals’ Education in the ECOWAS region, taking place in Abuja, Nigeria, from 2 to 4 November 2026.

For a woman giving birth, a child needing treatment or a family seeking care, the competence of a nurse or midwife can make a life-changing difference. Strengthening the training that prepares these professionals to provide safe, quality care is the focus of a regional workshop taking place in Abuja, Nigeria, from 29 to 31 October 2026.

Regional health stakeholders are meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, from 26 to 28 October 2026 to review the regional work plan for strengthening health workforce motivation and retention across ECOWAS Member States. The three-day workshop is organised by the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the specialised Institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responsible for health issues.

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the specialised Institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responsible for health issues, has on this 26 October 2026, officially handed over laboratory equipment to The Gambia under the Regional Programme for Strengthening epidemiological surveillance through Laboratory Capacities (PROALAB), funded by the German Government through KfW Development Bank.

The Director General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), Prof. Palokinam T. PITCHE, paid a courtesy visit to The Gambia’s Minister of Health, Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, on 26 October 2026 in Banjul, The Gambia. 

Their discussions centred on WAHO’s partnership with The Gambia and the contribution of regional action to meeting the country’s health needs.