Director-General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), Dr. Melchior AISSI, said on Wednesday that the organization had over the decades, worked with determination to harmonise health policies, build national capacity, prevent epidemics, improve access to essential healthcare, and promote the local production of medicines and vaccines.
In a statement he issued on the occasion of WAHO’s 38ty anniversary, Dr. Aissi noted that more recently, the organization, with its headquarters in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, also championed a community-based approach to health.
Established in 1987 by Protocol A/P2/7/87 signed in Abuja by the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, WAHO was entrusted with a strong political mandate: to coordinate regional health policies and to strengthen cooperation among Member States in order to deliver a collective and sustainable response to the health challenges facing our sub-region.
The Director-General, who described occasion as 38 years of unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of the populations of West Africa, noted that driven by the ECOWAS’ people agenda, “we have embedded our work within an integrated, equitable and inclusive vision that places health at the heart of human development.”
He highlighted the key milestones of the past year to include the adoption, in May 2025, of the Regional Community Health Policy.
According to Dr. Aissi, the Regional Community Health Policy, born out of extensive consultations with WAHO’s partners and Member States, “represents a bold paradigm shift: the structured coverage of all households through well-trained community health workers, operating within a multisectoral system focused on prevention, health promotion, and community-based surveillance.”
“This vision is grounded in the commitments of the Lomé Declaration of 4 April 2025, which reaffirmed that community health must become the cornerstone of inclusive, resilient and sustainable health systems. It calls for greater mobilisation of domestic resources, active community engagement, and accountability from all stakeholders,” he said.
He commended the outstanding work carried out through flagship projects such as SWEDD+, which promotes women’s empowerment and harnesses the demographic dividend in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Health Security Programme (HeSP), implemented with support from the World Bank and other partners. These initiatives strengthen our collective capacity to reduce gender inequalities, address demographic challenges, and detect, prevent and respond to health threats, while also investing in human capital and transforming health systems.
Dr. Aissi, who reiterated his call for collective action, said: “We must take ownership of our people’s health and make a real and lasting impact.”
He also extended his heartfelt thanks to WAHO’s partners, Member States, health professionals and communities, for their trust and dedication in the past 38 years.
