The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has delivered a major consignment of medical and biomedical laboratory equipment, ambulances and information technology facilities to The Gambia as part of efforts to strengthen the country's healthcare system.
The equipment was formally presented in Banjul on July 9 by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, at a ceremony attended by the Director-General of the West African Health Organisation, Dr. Melchior Athanase J. C. Aissi, and The Gambia's Vice President, Muhammad B. S. Jallow.
The event also drew the participation of the Gambian Minister of Health, senior government officials, representatives of the African Development Bank and other development partners.
The donation was made under the Regional COVID-19 Response Project, a programme financed by the African Development Bank and implemented by the West African Health Organisation to support ECOWAS Member States in strengthening their public health systems.
The consignment comprises medical and biomedical laboratory equipment, ambulances, as well as information and communication technology tools intended to improve healthcare delivery, disease surveillance and emergency response capacity in The Gambia.
ECOWAS said the intervention underscores the collective commitment of the regional bloc, WAHO and the African Development Bank to reinforcing health security and building resilient healthcare systems capable of responding effectively to future public health emergencies across West Africa.