By John Okeke
The United States government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening public health systems in West Africa, as 17 professionals from seven countries completed a regional Public Health Emergency Management training programme in Abuja on Saturday.
According to a statement from the U.S. diplomatic mission to Nigeria, the initiative was led by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Today the first cohort of the Regional Public Health Emergency Management Training graduated in Abuja,” the statement read.
“The intermediate level training was hosted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Seventeen public health emergency operations center staff members from countries across the region (Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Liberia, and Mali) participated in the two-week training. They learned and strengthened the skills needed to effectively operate incident management systems for outbreak preparedness and response. As a result, the region is now better equipped to prepare for and respond to epidemics and pandemics.”
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Asmau Aminu-Alhaji, Acting Program Director of the U.S. CDC Division of Global Health Protection, commended the participants for their commitment to improving public health in their respective countries.
She also stressed the need for cross-border collaboration, saying it is vital for tackling public health threats.
The Public Health Emergency Management Professional Certification Program forms part of the U.S. government’s broader global health security agenda. It is designed to equip emergency operations personnel and public health professionals with advanced training in emergency management, operations, and key skills required for epidemic response and preparedness.
