WAHO DG, Dr. Melchior Athanase AISI and Ivorian Health Minister, Mr. Pierre N'Gou DIMBA
A high-level working meeting was held in Abidjan between the Director-General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), Dr Melchior Athanase Joël Codjovi AÏSSI, and Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage, Mr Pierre N’Gou DIMBA.
This meeting, as learnt, is part of the implementation of the decisions of the ECOWAS Heads of State Conference of December 2025, which formalised the transfer and establishment of the WAHO headquarters in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.
Currently, he headquarters of WAHO, IS located in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, where the regional health interventions for the 15 ECOWAS member states are managed.
The decision to establish the WAHO headquarters in the Ivorian capital was informed by several institutional, strategic and cooperative considerations, including institutional implementation of ECOWAS decisions, Strengthening regional cooperation and operational efficiency, Wider ECOWAS strategic orientation and integration goals and; Context of regional health importance.
Discussions focused on the key milestones of this institutional deployment. Minister Pierre DIMBA and Dr AÏSSI reviewed the priority dossiers to ensure a smooth and efficient establishment of the regional health agency on Ivorian territory.
The main points addressed included:
* Practical arrangements for the establishment: Identification of infrastructure and reception logistics for WAHO staff and services.
* Administrative transition: Progress of file transfers and coordination between WAHO teams and Ivorian authorities.
* Strengthened collaboration: Definition of new cooperation perspectives to accelerate public health programmes, notably Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and epidemic response within the ECOWAS region.
