By René DOKOU, November 19, 2025
(IMPARTIAL NEWS) – From November 18 to 21, 2025, Lomé has become the nerve center of scientific and decision-making thinking in West Africa. Public health experts, senior researchers and policy makers from ECOWAS member states gathered there for high-level training focused on the development of health policies based on evidence.
This major initiative, led by the West African Health Organization (WAHO), is part of the dynamic of implementing a resolution which entrusts the organization with the mission of promoting the strategic use of scientific research in planning and action. public.
The opening ceremony was chaired by the WAHO Focal Point in Togo, Mr. Sossah WADAGNI, representing the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health. In his speech, he recalled the progress recorded in ECOWAS countries but also the extent of the persistent challenges, emphasizing the crucial importance of strengthening the skills of national actors in the use of scientific and operational data. “Evidence-based data are determining elements in the design of health policies,” he insisted, emphasizing the need for increased expertise in their interpretation and mobilization.
Strategic training to transform research into action
Placed under the theme “Strengthening the development of evidence-based policies for the resilience of health systems”, the session aims to fill a well-identified gap: that which separates the production of scientific knowledge from its effective integration into health systems. public strategies.
In a region faced with multifaceted health challenges, persistent maternal mortality, communicable and non-communicable diseases, insufficient funding for research, increased vulnerabilities linked to poverty or climate crises, this training appears to be a leveressential to drive lasting change.
The findings on the ground remain worrying. West African countries must deal with major structural challenges: episodes of famine, drought, floods, conflicts, recurrent epidemics, malnutrition, not to mention demographic pressure and socio-economic shocks.
Despite these realities, significant progress has been measured over the years in several priority areas. However, as many participants pointed out, the central question remains: how to capitalize on the data produced to effectively inform public policies and strengthen collective resilience?
Strong voices for renewed advocacy
Representing the current President of ECOWAS, Dr Joan SHEPHERD delivered a committed speech, calling for strengthened collaboration between public health actors.
“We need to rethink, collaborate, strategize and take action based on evidence,” she said, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the relevance of professionals in the face of technological and societal transformations, including the rise ofartificial intelligence. She recalled that progress cannot be fully claimed without a solid foundation in scientifically validated evidence.
Dr Shepherd also recontextualized the efforts of ECOWAS, highlighting the organization’s commitment to promoting deep regional integration, peace, security and sustainable socio-economic development. These axes, according to her, must guide collective actions to better respond to health crises, economic shocks and social disparities.
In the same dynamic, Professor Joseph OLORUNDA, representing the Director General of WAHO, encouraged each country to set up a national platform for collaboration between researchers and decision-makers. An essential mechanism, according to him, to ensure that research effectively informs the design and evaluation of health policies and programs.
Towards a paradigm shift
This meeting in Lomé marks a decisive step towards the lasting anchoring of a decision-making culture based on data. The challenge goes beyond simple technical training: it is a real paradigm shift aimed at establishing more responsive, more coherent and more resilient health governance.
By bringing together experts and decision-makers around the same objective, WAHO demonstrates its desire to consolidate the progress recorded and to support Member States in the construction of robust, scientifically supported public policies capable of responding to contemporary health challenges.
