PROTOCOL
- Your Excellency, the Honourable Minister of Health of the Republic of Ghana and
Chair of the Regional Steering Committee (ReSCO). - Heads of Delegation from all AU Member States represented.
- Regional Director of the Africa CDC, West Africa Regional Coordinating Centre
(RCC). - Distinguished representatives of ECOWAS-RCSDC, AU-STRC, WAHO, WHO, AFRO, CEPI, the World Bank, and all development and technical partners.
- Directors of National Laboratories, Surveillance Units, and Public Health
Emergency Operations Centres. - Members of the ReSCO and ReTAC, the media, and distinguished ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is my honour to warmly welcome you to Abuja for this very important Regional Review and Coordination Meeting.
Permit me to congratulate the Regional Director of the Africa CDC West Africa RCC,
Dr. Alinon Kokou, on completing an impactful year in office. Your leadership,
commitment, and direct engagement with all the Member States within this short period
demonstrate a renewed era of responsive, respectful, and inclusive regional cooperation,
and hosting this first annual review meeting under your leadership marks an important milestone for the region, and Nigeria is proud to host this gathering.
This meeting aligns directly with the health sector transformation Agenda of His
Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, African Union Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership.
Nigeria’s health reform priorities speak to the same objectives that Africa CDC and ECOWAS are advancing across the region:
- Strengthening emergency preparedness and responsWe are investing in resilient systems that detect, respond to, and manage health
emergencies, supported by stronger NPHIs, PHEOCs, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control and Prevention (NCDC). - Modernizing public health intelligence and surveillance
Nigeria is deepening digital health infrastructure, integrating real-time disease
surveillance, and aligning national systems with continental data governance frameworks.
- Accelerating health workforce expansion and protection
As AU Champion, Mr President is driving a continental vision for scaling and retaining a skilled health workforce, strengthening community health structures, and creating fair,
sustainable workforce mobility pathways. - Expanding laboratory and diagnostic capacity
From genomic sequencing to subnational labs, Nigeria is strengthening capacity that
supports not only national needs but also regional outbreak response.
- Advancing local manufacturing and health security sovereignty
Nigeria is committing to the continental agenda for producing vaccines, diagnostics, and
therapeutics in Africa, and ensuring regulatory strengthening through AMA and national
systems.
These reforms are not isolated national efforts; they are contributions to regional and
continental integration, consistent with the Africa CDC’s New Public Health Order.
Today, before all Member States and partners gathered, I wish to reaffirm Nigeria’s
unwavering commitment to advancing health security in West Africa, and also reaffirm its
commitment, on behalf of the Government of Nigeria, to provide a befitting, permanent,
functional office space to the organization.
We are also committed to Regional Unity and Cooperation in health security. No Member State can stand alone and our strength lies in shared surveillance, shared information,
shared expertise and shared responsibility. I therefore call on all West African nations to maintain unity, reinforce coordination frameworks, and deepen technical collaboration.
Nigeria is committed to the Continental Frameworks and fully supports:
- the Africa CDC Five-Pillar Health Security Agenda• the African Epidemic Fund (AfEF),
- the Regional PHEOC Coordination Platform under development this week,
- and the broader vision of an Africa that leads its own health priorities and global
health governance reforms.
This meeting is therefore not merely a technical gathering; it is the region’s opportunity to
shape a stronger, more integrated, and more resilient West Africa. Nigeria stands ready to
support, host, and champion these regional efforts.
Excellencies,
The crises of recent years remind us that our region’s health security depends on how well
we prepare before the next emergency. Let us therefore strengthen solidarity, reduce
fragmentation, coordinate as one region, and protect our 355 million citizens with systems
that are strong, united, and sustainable.
As host country, Nigeria welcomes all delegations and assures you of our full support
throughout this meeting. We look forward to productive discussions, renewed
commitments, and concrete outcomes that move West Africa closer to true health, security
and sovereignty.
Thank you, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Union, and
the entire West African region
