Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC202542 (Poster 162) | Published: 07 Aug 2025
Mariame Bonkano Laurent Comlan1,&, Aishat Bukola Usman2, Virgil Kouassi Lokossou2, Kerton Richard Victory3
1Economic Community of West African States Regional Center for Surveillance and Disease Control, Abuja Nigeria, 2West African Health Organization, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 3Division of Global Health Protection, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States
&Corresponding author: Mariame Bonkano Laurent Comlan, Economic Community of West African States Regional Center for Surveillance and Disease Control, Abuja, Nigeria, Email: mlaurentcomlan@support.wahooas.org
Received: 31 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 07 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Field epidemiology, Workforce development, One Health, Regional strategy
©Mariame Bonkano Laurent Comlan et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Mariame Bonkano Laurent Comlan et al., Strengthening the workforce: Drafting the ECOWAS regional FETP strategic plan, 2026-2030. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00306. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO5-00306
The West African Health Organization (WAHO), through the Regional Center for Disease Surveillance and Control (RCSDC), collaborated with the US CDC and AFENET to conduct a one-day consultative workshop on November 8, 2023, in Mombasa, Kenya. The workshop brought together FETP country directors, coordinators, resident advisors, partners, and experts from ECOWAS member states. Its objectives were to analyze the current state of FETP programs in the region and propose strategic priorities for the 2026-2030 regional workforce development plan.
Before the workshop, member states completed a situational analysis questionnaire. During the workshop, participants reviewed a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of FETP programs and engaged in group discussions. These activities helped identify key regional strategies and activities for the 2026-2030 strategic plan.
Thirty participants, including representatives from all 15 ECOWAS countries and key partners, attended the workshop. The situational analysis revealed strengths such as strong capacity-building practices, One Health training, policy frameworks, and university affiliations for advanced programs. However, weaknesses included poor documentation of best practices, weak resource mobilization, lack of FETP institutionalization, limited career pathways for graduates, and unstable funding. Key opportunities included AFENET’s networking support, ECOWAS advocacy structures, university partnerships, and regional training centers.
Despite challenges in FETP implementation, the workshop successfully identified critical strategies for strengthening workforce development in the ECOWAS region. Recommendations included improving documentation, securing sustainable funding, institutionalizing FETP programs, and leveraging regional partnerships for long-term success.
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