Date: 2017-06-18 14:49:24 ID: 1654
Abuja, Nigeria ' June 17, 2017 ' ECOWAS Ministers in charge of Health, Agriculture and Environment met in Abuja, Nigeria's capital on Saturday, June 17, to formalize the implementation of the '??One Health'?? Approach in the region.
The meeting which was chaired by the Health Minister of Togo and current Chairman of the Assembly of Health Ministers, (AHM), Professor Mustafa Mijiyawa had in attendance the Honorable Minister of Health of Nigeria, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole, the Vice-president of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr.Edward Singhartey and the Director General of the West African Health Organization.
Also in attendance were Ministers in charge of Health, Agriculture and Environment or their representatives from the 15 ECOWAS countries, development partners, Health Experts from the 15 ECOWAS countries and WAHO Liaison Officers.
At the end of the meeting, the ministers have stressed the need for the countries and the region to quickly start interdisciplinary and trans-sectoral dialogue necessary for the coordination of effort and the leveraging of energies to ensure our region obtain the required capacities to prevent, detect and respond to infectious diseases' threats.
They also renewed their commitments to the Dakar Resolution on the 'One Health' approach.
The ministers invited ECOWAS to take all the necessary steps to ensure that the Bamako-based ECOWAS Regional Animal Health Center becomes operational to enable it play fully its role in the implementation of the 'One Health' in the region.
The ministers also adopted unanimously the terms of reference of the 'One Health' Policy Coordination Platform as well as its 2017-2018 roadmap and they pledge their support to ensure its success.