Submission ID 130801
| Issue/Objective | Environmental and toxicological hazards are an increasingly important but under-addressed public health challenge in West Africa, driven by rapid urbanization, industrial activity, artisanal mining, agricultural intensification, and weak waste management systems. Despite investments in infectious disease laboratories, access to specialized environmental and toxicological testing remains limited and uneven across the region, contributing to inequities in detection, response, and protection of vulnerable populations. This work aimed to identify Regional Reference Laboratories for environmental and toxicological threats in order to strengthen equitable regional surveillance capacity and improve preparedness for environmental health events. |
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| Methodology/Approach | The Economic Community of West African States Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control implemented a multi-phase, evidence-informed selection process across ECOWAS Member States. The approach included country nomination of laboratories, structured self-assessment, document review, weighted desk scoring, and onsite verification by multidisciplinary experts. Ten laboratories from eight Member States were assessed across technical capacity, infrastructure, workforce expertise, quality systems, data management, institutional commitment, and sustainability. Six laboratories with the strongest overall performance advanced to onsite assessment. |
| Results | The process established a transparent and regionally owned mechanism for selecting specialized reference laboratories in a resource-constrained setting. Two laboratories demonstrated the highest overall readiness and were selected as Regional Reference Laboratories. Key strengths associated with higher readiness included stronger analytical capability, more developed quality systems, better infrastructure, and clearer institutional support. The process also highlighted important regional gaps in environmental and toxicological laboratory capacity. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | This initiative offers a practical and scalable model for strengthening equitable access to quality toxicological testing, improving cross-border environmental health surveillance, and supporting coordinated regional action in a fragmented and uncertain context. It demonstrates how regional leadership and structured accountability mechanisms can advance health equity through laboratory systems strengthening. Strengthening such networks is essential to restoring commitment to action and ensuring that vulnerable populations are not left behind. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Kayode Akanbi ECOWAS-Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control, West African Health Organization Kayode Akanbi ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control / West African Health Organization Victor Fatimehin ECOWAS-Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control / West African Health Organization Babacar Fall ECOWAS-Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control / West African Health Organization Mamadou Diarrahssouba ECOWAS-Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control / West African Health Organization Victor Fatimehin ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control / West African Health Organization Babacar Fall ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control / West African Health Organization Mamadou Diarrassouba ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control / West African Health Organization Chinelo Ebruke ECOWAS-Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control / West African Health Organization |
