Kogi Mobilises Ministries, WHO, UNICEF to Strengthen Public Health Emergency Response

By Rotimi Odofin

The Kogi State Ministry of Health has intensified efforts to strengthen public health emergency preparedness and response through improved collaboration among ministries, agencies and development partners under the One Health approach.

The initiative was the focus of a one-day Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) Multi-Sectoral One Health Coordination Meeting, which brought together stakeholders from the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Livestock Development and Environment, alongside development partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

The meeting aimed to institutionalise the One Health approach in Kogi State by promoting coordinated action on health threats affecting humans, animals and the environment.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, who delivered the opening remarks on behalf of the Coordinating Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza, described the meeting as timely and critical to strengthening the state’s capacity to prevent and respond to public health emergencies.

He stressed that the interconnected nature of human, animal and environmental health required sustained collaboration among relevant sectors, particularly in tackling zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety challenges and environmental threats.

According to him, no single ministry or agency can effectively address these challenges in isolation, making the One Health approach essential for information sharing, joint planning and coordinated responses to emerging health risks.

He said the meeting would review existing coordination mechanisms, exchange updates across participating sectors and develop a joint action plan to guide interventions across the state.

The Permanent Secretary urged participants to contribute meaningfully to the deliberations, noting that their technical expertise and commitment would be vital to translating the initiative into practical results.

He commended the Kogi State Government and the NCDC Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) Gateway for supporting the meeting, while acknowledging WHO and UNICEF for their continued technical and financial assistance towards institutionalising the One Health approach in the state.

In a presentation on the One Health concept, the State Epidemiologist, Dr Augustine Ojotule, described it as an integrated framework that recognises the close links between human, animal and environmental health.

Ojotule reaffirmed the commitment to involving all relevant ministries, agencies and stakeholders in a coordinated system for health planning, disease surveillance, prevention and emergency response.

He emphasised the need for shared responsibility and sustained inter-agency cooperation to achieve the objectives of the initiative.

The meeting forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen multi-sectoral coordination and improve Kogi State’s ability to prevent, detect and respond effectively to public health emergencies.

Through the initiative, the state seeks to build a more integrated health security system that enables relevant sectors to identify threats early, share critical information and coordinate interventions to protect human, animal and environmental health.