Date: 2017-11-18 20:21:20 ID: 1763
Niamey, 16 November 2017 – The Centre for Medical and Health Research (CERMES) organised from 14 to 16 November 2017 in Niamey, Niger, its first science day on their theme “from the great endemics of yesteryear to the emerging diseases of today”.
The Minister of Health of the Republic of Niger, Dr Idi Iliassou MAINASSARA, chaired the opening ceremony, and by him was the Director General of the West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO), the representative of the Minister for higher education and research, the Director General of CERMES and the French Ambassador.
The Director General of CERMES made the welcome statement. After thanking participants for their presence, she noted that the science day should contribute to improving the visibility of her institution. She expressed the desire for the strengthening of collaboration between CERMES and all its partners in order to enable her institution to succeed in the mission assigned by the Minister of Public Health. After her speech, the Director General of WAHO took the floor and observed the linkage between the theme of the science day and one of the institutions that has contributed to the birth of WAHO, namely, the Joint Organisation for the Control of Major Endemics. He thereafter recalled the regional system the Heads of State of ECOWAS member States put in place for the control of epidemics, the Regional Centre for Disease Surveillance and Control and its network of National Coordination Institutions. He also recalled the adoption of the “one health” approach as a control strategy with the involvement of animal and environmental health sectors. Dr Crespin, thereafter, explained the importance of research in the 2016 - 2020 strategic plan and its regional approach to the control of epidemics, while drawing lessons from past experiences. After thanking France for its support through the funding of two regional projects, the DG ended his statement by making two calls. The first call was to researchers with regard to the conduct of their research in line with the “one health” approach, and the second was to the national authorities of ECOWAS countries and France for more funding towards health research.
The French ambassador to Niger, on his part, expressed satisfaction for participating in the first science day. For him, the science day is a joyful celebration of the success of CERMES, which remains a reference facility for disease control in Niger through its mission of research, training and surveillance. He promised to consolidate technical assistance and funding for the project through cooperation and the involvement of French companies such as AREVA and TOTAL. He also promised the support of France to the new impetus driven by the Director General of CERMES. The French ambassador ended his speech by expressing the wish that CERMES would continue deepening the quality approach it has adopted, the preparation of the future through youth training and the promotion of new technologies.
In his opening speech, the Minister of Public Health of Niger, Dr Idi Iliassou MAINASSARA noted the significance of the science days for Niger, a country that has experienced over the past years, [2016] Rift Valley Fever, Meningitis and Hepatitis E epidemics. “CERMES is playing a coordination role in disease control thanks to its nomination as the National Coordination Institution” observed the Minister.
Dr Mainassara noted that the presence of representatives from various countries of the region is a good indicator of the regional collaboration advocated by ECOWAS for the control of epidemics through the adoption of the one health approach. He continued by stating that ‘the science days is a follow-up to a meeting on leveraging research, and that signifies the importance of research for his Ministry’. He expressed the wish that the science days would be organised regularly and would constitute a forum for sub-regional interaction in Africa.
The Director General took the opportunity to discuss with the French ambassador health issues in West Africa. During the discussions the Director General of WAHO, after thanking France for her contribution to regional health activities through the funding of RIPOST and DEMSAN projects, expressed the desire to see greater involvement in the regional health activities through the funding of evidence-based research both in public health and social sciences.
The WAHO team was led by the Director General of the West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO), Dr Xavier CRESPIN, and included the Executive Secretary to the Director General and the Principal Professional for research and health information.