Stakeholders advocate for Community health, to achieve Universal Health Coverage

Stakeholders in the West African health sector have underscored Community health as a strategic lever for achieving Universal Health Coverage and strengthening the resilience of communities in the face of health, social and environmental challenges.

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This was stated at the Consensus Conference on Community Health Standards and Principles in Lomé, Togo.

This conference organised by West African Health Organisation (WAHO) highlighted the urgent need to reinforce community health systems to ensure
accessible, equitable, and high-quality services for all.

Speaking, the Director General of West African Health Organisation (WAHO), Dr Melchior Athanase Joël Codjovi Aïssi, described the conference
as a key milestone in advancing a shared understanding of community health approaches.

He emphasised the central role of communities in shaping policy, the importance of harmonised
strategies tailored to local contexts, and the need to build inclusive, fair, and locally adapted, acknowledging the contributions of past and present stakeholders, reiterating WAHO’s commitment to strengthening community-level public health.

Speaking on behalf of the AFD and the TFPs Forum, Mr Diakaridia Traore, stressed the urgent need to rethink health systems in light of recent global crises and persistent inequalities in access to care.

He further commended WAHO’s leadership in fostering inclusive dialogue and reaffirmed AFD’s long-term
commitment to supporting national reforms grounded in equity, participation, human rights
and multisectoral collaboration.

On her part, the Vice-president, ECOWAS Commission, Mrs Damtien Tchintchibidja, while reflecting on the
legacy of the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration, which laid the foundation for primary healthcare, recognised both the progress made and the persistent challenges to its full implementation.

She further called for more integrated and inclusive governance, underscoring the regional importance of community health.

Mrs. Tchintchibidja urged participants to build a strong consensus on shared standards and guiding principles for collective action.

The Secretary General, Togo’s, Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, Dr Kokou Wotobe, reaffirmed Togo’s commitment to strengthening community health as a cornerstone of resilient health systems.

He referenced the national roadmap (2020–2025) aimed at achieving UHC, including a 2022 strategy to deploy trained community health workers in 90% of rural villages.

The event brought together representatives from
the Ministries of Health from ECOWAS Member States, Civil Society Organisations, academic institutions, as well as the African Union, Africa CDC and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).