Under the Health Security Program for Western and Central Africa (HeSP), the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), in collaboration with the World Bank and other global and regional partners, is bringing together technical experts for a Health Security Learning Event from 17 to 20 June 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria.
The four-day Learning Event is a key milestone in the implementation of the HeSP, a World Bank- supported initiative with a funding envelope of US$500 million for West and Central Africa. The Program aims to increase regional collaboration and national health system capacities to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats.
The HeSP features a Learning Agenda that focuses on the generation of knowledge, best practices and prioritizes peer-to-peer learning. Along with the cross-border characteristics of health security (i.e., epidemiological early warning system and data sharing, interventions at points of entry, regional laboratory networks), there is scope for knowledge sharing between countries, and to strengthen regional capacities by capitalizing on country comparative advantages.
Delegations from ten countries (Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, and Republic of Congo) and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, comprise technical professionals from the health, agriculture, and environment sectors, and will participate in interactive sessions with case-based learning and peer exchanges. The Learning Event focuses on priority technical areas, namely (i) One Health approaches addressing human, animal, and environmental health interactions; (ii)
Antimicrobial resistance; (iii) Emergency-ready primary health care; (iv) Surveillance and early warning systems; (v) Laboratory quality and capacity; and (vi) Health emergency management. Participants will be equipped to translate findings from national assessments into actionable workplans. They will also be supported to identify priority investments and implement multisectoral collaboration mechanisms essential to effective emergency response.
The HeSP Learning Event will be facilitated by technical experts from the West African Health Organisation, World Bank, World Organisation for Animal Health, Resolve to Save Lives, World Health Organization Emergency Hub of Dakar, and Institut Pasteur of Dakar.