Palokinam Pitche, director-general of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), visited the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCSDC) in Abuja.

The visit, disclosed Thursday in a statement, focused on strengthening strategic collaboration and coordination between WAHO leadership and the RCSDC to improve health security across the ECOWAS region and strengthen preparedness.

During the working session, Mr Pitche reviewed the RCSDC’s activities, including recent achievements, operational challenges and prospects for strengthening disease surveillance and response, while discussing priorities for effective regional health security.

“The discussions provided an opportunity to identify areas requiring greater coordination and collaboration within WAHO’s structures to address emerging and ongoing public health challenges.”

The statement said those priorities required sustained institutional attention.

He reaffirmed his support for the RCSDC, emphasising that strong collaboration across WAHO institutions remains essential to protect populations throughout the ECOWAS region sustainably,” it said.

According to the statement, the visit underscores the new WAHO leadership’s commitment to strengthening internal synergies, improving regional coordination and advancing collective responses to complex health challenges across West Africa through sustained collaboration.

(NAN)