The IPPS held a series of four regional ‘listening exercises’ in 2023 to better understand different regional contexts and approaches to delivering the 100 Days Mission. This listening exercise revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a number of systemic vulnerabilities and fragilities that led to significant gaps in the timely availability, provision and access to DTVs in West Africa. Despite these challenges the region has examples of effective surveillance systems in place in Senegal and Nigeria. Participants mentioned that regulatory harmonisation is a key accelerating factor in pandemic preparedness and they welcomed the progress the West Africa Medicines Regulatory Harmonization initiative is making in this area. There was a consensus that as regional actors, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and West African Health Organisation (WAHO) were working very effectively, but a question arose about how to ensure everyone (particularly the smaller countries) is tapped into regional initiatives. A number of concrete ideas for how this support might be shaped were proposed in this exercise.
Download Report