The President of Burkina Faso, Mr. Roch Marc Christian Kabore, has said that an urgent review and progress action will be undertaken on the infrastructure of the Headquarters of West African Health Organization (WAHO) in Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso.
President Kabore, who visited the WAHO with the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, expressed surprise at the poor physical condition of the buildings and environment of the WAHO Headquarters.
He, however, congratulated the Director General of WAHO for his excellent leadership in the regional COVID-19 pandemic response and thanked WAHO staff for their commitment to the improvement of the health status of the populations of ECOWAS Member States.
He also thanked the Director General for representing WAHO at the recent funeral of his late father.
Earlier, Professor Stanley Okolo, the Director General of WAHO, had said that the visit was the first by a President of Burkina Faso to the offices of WAHO and it offered President Kabore the opportunity to meet and exchange views with WAHO staff and to inspect the buildings housing the Institution under the Headquarters Agreement between the Government of Burkina Faso and the ECOWAS.
Prof, Okolo said that he was honored to receive the President of Burkina Faso, emphasizing that the visit was yet another illustration of the strong support that the Government and People of Burkina Faso have given WAHO since its creation to enable it discharge its mandate of regional integration through improved health of the population.
He recalled the multi-faceted contributions of WAHO to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response in the region, and thanked President Kabore for the encouragement and support of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government towards WAHO’s coordination efforts.
He reassured the President of Burkina Faso that WAHO will continue to tirelessly pursue the fight against disease and public health events in the region and once again offered condolences to the President on the recent death of his father.
A statement by the ECOWAS Commission said that the Chairman of WAHO Workers’ Association (ATO), Dr. Namoudou Keita, also welcomed President Kabore to the Institution and expressed the joy and pride of all WAHO staff to be serving in Burkina Faso.
He stated that the buildings housing WAHO, which were constructed during the colonial era, initially to house the Organization for Cooperation and Coordination in the Fight against Great Endemics (OCCGE) were now dilapidated and no longer met health and safety standards required for a regional institution such as WAHO.
He therefore implored the President of Faso to consider an urgent resolution of WAHO’s infrastructure needs.
GIK/APA