The Health Security Program (HeSP) in West and Central Africa, financed by the World Bank Group, was officially launched on October 4, 2024, in Praia, Cabo Verde. Implemented by the West African Health Organization (WAHO), the HeSP Program aims to strengthen regional and national capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to health emergencies. This program marks a crucial step for health security in the region and adopts a “One Health” approach, promoting collaboration between the human health, animal health, and environmental sectors, with the objective of strengthening the resilience of health systems and ensuring an effective response to health emergencies. The HeSP Program also aims to improve regional cooperation and increase the capacity of health systems in West and Central African countries to prevent, detect, and respond to health crises. The HeSP program will be implemented in several phases. After the implementation initial phase in Cabo Verde, Guinea, and Liberia, other countries in West and Central Africa will join the program during subsequent phases. The HeSP program has four main components: 1: Prevention of health emergencies, 2: Detection of health emergencies, 3: Response to Health Emergency, 4: Program management and institutional capacity building. As part of this program, WOAH provides technical assistance to WAHO for the implementation of animal health activities through components 1, 2, and 4.

Under the authority of WOAH Director General, the direct supervision of the WOAH Regional Representative for Africa and in collaboration with the AMR and Veterinary Products (AMR&VP) Department.

The AMR Technical Officer will support the implementation of WOAH Strategy on AMR at regional and national levels in Western and Central Africa. He/she will form part of a continental and international network of WOAH staff, working on this particular subject, with colleagues in other Regional and Sub-Regional Representations as well as in WOAH Headquarters. He/she will also contribute to the overall implementation of the WOAH mandate in relation to animal health, veterinary public health and welfare in Western and Central Africa sub-regions, in line with WOAH 7^th and 8^th Strategic Plans, with particular emphasis on promoting awareness of AMR and enhancing antimicrobial stewardship in the veterinary profession, assisting strengthening WOAH Members national drug regulatory authorities in the animal health sector and develop a “One Health” surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use in West and Central Africa. In addition, the AMR Technical Officer will liaise closely with the Quadripartite counterparts at regional and country level in West and Central Africa.

Support WOAH Members in the ECOWAS and ECCAS sub-regions to implement Health Security Programme activities related to AMR and the Prudent Use of Antimicrobials and stewardship through regional meetings, consultations and working sessions. More specifically to:

– Organise subregional or national workshops, ensuring follow up with participants for the successful achievement of objectives of roadmaps developed during the workshops on:
. on antimicrobial resistance and the use of ANIMUSE Platform for WOAH national focal points for veterinary products, laboratories and animal diseases notification.
. on the institutionalization of AMU surveillance.
. on responsible use of antimicrobials including reducing presence of substandard and falsified veterinary medicines, strengthening of regulation and pharmacovigilance.
– Support the review, updating and costing National Action Plans for AMR.Support the piloting of the One Health Legal Assessment Tool on AMR.Support to the AMR Multi-Partner Trust Fund country activities in WOAH members with AMR MPTF projects in West and Central Africa serviced by WOAH Regional Representation for Africa in Bamako.
– Support Regional Quadripartite meetings.
– Participate in scientific and other related meetings conducted at West and Central sub-regional levels addressing AMR under the One Health approach.
– Provide direct guidance to WOAH Members in antimicrobial agent registration and explore ways of collaboration with West and Central Regional Committees responsible for regulation of Veterinary Drugs and Biologicals.
– Provide direct support to Members in the filling out of questionnaires for WOAH Global Database of antimicrobial agents intended for use in animals and other surveillance activities.
– Participate in other relevant events including those organised by the Fleming Fund and others financial partners at sub regional levels.
– Ensure liaison between WOAH Regional Representation in Bamako and other organisations / agencies working on the above topics in the West and Central Africa, for instance (but not limited to): FAO, WHO (AFRO), WAHO, Regional Animal Health Centre of ECOWAS and ECCAS, Africa-CDC, ILRI (AMR Hub, OHRECA) and AU-IBAR.  

Also, the Regional Representative may, when necessary, assign the incumbent to any other duties, responsibilities and activities within his area of competence.