Monrovia, Liberia — The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), through its West Africa Regional Coordinating Centre, in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing public health capacity across the region.
The pledge was made at the conclusion of a three-day workshop held in Monrovia, focused on improving Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) as a cornerstone of public health emergency preparedness and response.
Held under the theme “Strengthening Risk Communication and Community Engagement for Effective Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response,” the workshop brought together participants from all 15 ECOWAS member states.
Five Key Steps Forward
During the workshop, participants outlined five strategic steps to advance regional public health resilience:
- Support capacity building for RCCE among network members.
- Develop and finalize a 2025-2026 action plan for the ECOWAS West Africa RCCE Network.
- Mobilize joint resources from Africa CDC, ECOWAS, and RCCE networks to implement a one-year roadmap (June 2025-June 2026).
- Facilitate experience-sharing among member states.
- Establish a technical working group with Mpox expertise to support at-risk countries.
RCCE: A Foundation for Trust
In remarks at the close of the event, Dr. Kokuo Alinon, Director of the West Africa Regional Coordinating Centre at Africa CDC, highlighted the central role of RCCE in fostering public trust during health crises.
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“Community engagement is not just a tool–it is the foundation of every successful emergency response,” Dr. Alinon said. “Through collective efforts, we can build stronger systems that prioritize listening to, understanding, and involving communities in protecting their health.”
Lessons from the Past
Also speaking at the event, ECOWAS representative Madam Marianne Bonkano Laurent Comlan emphasized the importance of coordinated communication strategies, noting that lessons learned from past health emergencies like Ebola and COVID-19 demonstrate the need for unified regional approaches.
Liberia Commits to Strengthening RCCE
Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), expressed gratitude to Africa CDC for selecting Liberia as host of the workshop. He reaffirmed NPHIL’s commitment to strengthening RCCE as a key pillar of public health resilience in Liberia.
The workshop concluded with renewed momentum to advance a coordinated regional response framework–anchored in collaboration, communication, and community engagement–to better prepare for and respond to public health emergencies in West Africa.