Guinea-Bissau has been selected as the pilot country for implementing the ECOWAS Regional Community Health Policy, as the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) begins high-level engagements with government authorities in Bissau.
WAHO Director General Dr Melchior Athanase Joël C. Aïssi began a series of meetings with Guinea-Bissau’s Transitional Government on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, seeking to build political and institutional support for putting the regional policy into practice.
The meetings brought community health beyond the health sector, with WAHO also engaging the country’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Dr Aïssi first met the Minister of Public Health, Commodore Dr Quinhin Nantote, at the Ministry of Public Health.
The discussions focused on Guinea-Bissau’s priorities in community health and the institutional and technical requirements for implementing the Regional Community Health Policy.
The WAHO delegation, accompanied by ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea-Bissau Ambassador Ngozi Ukaeje, later met Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Amadu Uri Guissé at the Government House/Ministry of Agriculture.
The discussions highlighted the importance of involving different sectors in efforts to advance community health.
WAHO says the mission is part of efforts to encourage ECOWAS member states to take ownership of the Regional Community Health Policy.
It also aims to strengthen political commitment and create the conditions needed for effective implementation.
Guinea-Bissau’s role as the pilot country places the implementation process at the centre of the current engagements.
The Director General is expected to continue meetings with other authorities of the Transitional Government on 19 August.
Laboratory support
The programme will also include the official handover of laboratory equipment procured by WAHO for Guinea-Bissau’s National Public Health Laboratory.
The handover is scheduled to take place on 19 August.
A workshop on Guinea-Bissau’s commitment to implementing the new Regional Community Health Policy will also officially open in Bissau on the same day.
The workshop will run from 19 to 21 August.
WAHO says the engagements are intended to strengthen institutional dialogue and bring relevant sectors together around implementation of the policy.
For Guinea-Bissau, the immediate task is to translate the regional policy into action as the pilot country.
The outcome of the country’s implementation process will therefore be closely linked to WAHO’s wider effort to advance the Regional Community Health Policy among ECOWAS member states.
