Stopping the Next Pandemic Before It Starts
IT experts from Ghana & Nigeria at a SORMAS training © GIZ
How West Africa and Germany are building a regional safety net against future health crises
When a disease passes from an animal to a person in a remote village in West Africa, it may sound like a local issue. But in today’s connected world, it can quickly spread across countries and continents.
Many outbreaks begin when people come into closer contact with animals — for example through farming, livestock keeping or wildlife hunting. These zoonotic diseases move from animals to humans. Ebola, Lassa fever and Mpox are well-known examples. In fact, three out of four newly emerging infectious diseases originate in animals.
Changes in land use, such as deforestation and agricultural expansion, along with population growth, international trade and travel, increase the risk of diseases spreading once they appear. At the same time, many health systems in West Africa face shortages of trained staff, equipment and surveillance capacity, which can delay the detection and containment of outbreaks.
To better protect people, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Germany, through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), are working together on a clear goal with big impact:
This is the aim of the Regional Programme Support to Pandemic Prevention (RPPP)in the ECOWAS Region by the German Development Cooperation Agency GIZ (GIZ).
Detecting Outbreaks Early Through Digital Surveillance
You cannot stop an outbreak if you don’t see it coming. That is why GIZ RPPP strengthens digital disease surveillance — in simple terms, electronic systems that help health authorities track diseases in real time.
In Ghana and Nigeria, health workers use SORMAS (Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System), a system that allows them to record suspected cases, trace contacts and share data nationwide.
It proved its value during COVID-19 and other outbreaks. The strong results in Ghana and Nigeria showed how digital tools improve outbreak detection and response. Other ECOWAS countries are now following this path.
The Gambia is rolling out SORMAS nationwide, with technical support from GIZ RPPP. The work includes adjusting the system to national needs, setting up reliable local servers, and training staff in the use of the system. Nationwide use of SORMAS for disease surveillance is planned to start in March 2026.
The lessons learned are being documented as a roadmap for other countries.
Why this matters: Faster data = faster action. Early detection can stop a local outbreak from becoming a regional crisis.
Getting Sectors to Work Together: One Health in Action
By linking technology, institutions and people, ECOWAS and Germany are building a regional safety net that catches outbreaks before they spread — making the world safer for everyone.
Preventing and controlling zoonotic diseases works best when different sectors work together.
This is the idea behind the One Health approach. It means that authorities responsible for human health, animal health and environmental protection work in a coordinated way instead of separately.
With earlier support from GIZ, ECOWAS developed a Regional One Health Strategy. The current phase of the programme focuses on turning this plan into everyday practice.
From plans to routine cooperation
ECOWAS regional institutions for the following focus areas now meet every three months:
- human health (the Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control),
- animal health (the Regional Animal Health Centre), and
- environmental health (the Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources)
These quarterly meetings allow them to share information, agree on priorities and coordinate their work. Cooperation is no longer occasional — it is becoming routine.
Through these exchanges, one key priority emerged in 2025: strengthening One Health disease surveillance, meaning that sectors track diseases together instead of separately.
Turning coordination into practical tools
This priority guided the Annual ECOWAS One Health Meeting 2025, where over 65 regional and national One Health experts came together to develop practical tools for joint disease surveillance:
- A shared set of indicators for the seven ECOWAS priority zoonotic diseases, so countries and sectors can track diseases together
- Approval of the annual work plan of the Regional One Health Secretariat, which guides and tracks implementation of One Health activities in the region
- Creation of a One Health Surveillance Community of Practice — a professional network that allows experts to exchange knowledge and experiences beyond the meeting (see below for more details)
These practical tools allow for better coordination in other programme activities, making investments more effective. For example:
- Digital surveillance systems provide the data
- One Health coordination ensures that data is shared and used across sectors
- Training and Communities of Practice help professionals work together in real outbreak situations
Together, these elements turn One Health from a strategy on paper into a functioning regional system.
Training and Connecting People Who Protect Health
Systems only work when people know how to use them — and trust each other.
That is why GIZ RPPP invests in leadership and professional networks. Through the ECOWAS One Health Leadership Course, nearly 50 health professionals from across ECOWAS Member States and different sectors strengthened their leadership and coordination skills. The course also helped them better understand and apply the ECOWAS One Health framework in their daily work, contributing to stronger regional coherence.
The course combines lectures with practical exercises and group work. Participants’ progress is measured through assessments before and after the course. It is evaluated each year to ensure it responds to the region’s evolving needs.
Learning From Each Other Through Communities of Practice
After the One Health leadership training, many experts continue working together by joining Communities of Practice supported by GIZ RPPP.
In 2025, GIZ supported two Communities of Practice:
- one on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) — how to inform and work with communities during health crises
- one on One Health Surveillance — how to track diseases across human, animal and environmental sectors
These communities help countries learn from one another instead of working alone. They strengthen regional cooperation, build local expertise and make responses to health threats faster and more effective.
Peer Support During Mpox Outbreaks
A clear example of how this works was support to countries facing Mpox outbreaks. Through the RCCE Community of Practice, an Mpox sub-network was created. Three exchange meetings were organised, during which countries that had dealt with Mpox before shared their experiences with those currently responding to outbreaks. This exchange helped countries use proven approaches more quickly and avoid repeating mistakes. It also ensured that countries dealing with outbreaks were not responding alone.
Community Coordination for Joint Disease Surveillance
Building on the success of the RCCE network, a second Community of Practice was established in 2025, focusing on One Health Surveillance which had emerged as a key priority in the region.
All 12 ECOWAS countries are represented in a coordination team that keeps the network active. A concept note and implementation plans were developed to ensure that the Community of Practice is functional and sustainable.
Making Outbreak Responses More Inclusive
Exchanges of the Communities of Practice revealed that outbreak response plans did not always consider the different needs of women, men and vulnerable groups. To address this, a three-day training was organised, during which more than 45 professionals from all 12 ECOWAS countries learned how to develop gender-sensitive risk communication plans — in simple terms, how to ensure health messages reach everyone and take different needs into account during crises. This is important because health messages only work when they are understood and trusted by all groups in society.
Making One Health Visible and Connected
Strong systems depend on good communication. Experts need to know what others are doing, countries must learn from each other, and successful approaches should be shared. Without this, lessons are lost and efforts may be duplicated.
To support this, partners launched the West Africa One Health Newsletter and Online Platform — a joint initiative of RCSDC, RAHC, DENR and Africa CDC. Together, they provide a space where practitioners and policymakers can access updates, share experiences, and showcase successful One Health activities.
How Everything Fits Together
The programme works like a chain where each piece strengthens the others :
Digital surveillance
helps detect outbreaks early
One Health coordination
ensures the right sectors respond together
Leadership and communication networks
make sure people cooperate and communities are informed
Why Germany Supports This
Health threats do not stop at borders and neither do their economic and security consequences. Epidemics, livestock diseases and food safety crises can disrupt agricultural production, destabilise trade value chains, restrict mobility and weaken entire economies. Strong healthy systems are therefore not only a public health necessity but a foundation for economic resilience, regional stability and global health security. By supporting West Africa in building strong health systems, Germany invests in systems that protect cross-border trade, safeguard agricultural value chains and and prevent local outbreaks from escalating into regional or global crises..
At the same time, the programme reflects German development priorities :
✔ Strengthening regional institutions
✔ Promoting sustainable, locally owned solutions
✔ Supporting digital innovation
✔ Ensuring inclusive and gender-sensitive approaches
This is not emergency aid — it is long-term investment in security.
By connecting technology, institutions and people, ECOWAS and Germany are building something powerful: a regional safety net that catches outbreaks before they spread. And that makes the world safer for everyone.
This article is part of a broader series on strengthening health security in Africa through a One Health approach. While the ECOWAS programme demonstrates how regional systems can detect and respond to outbreaks, the next article looks at how digital public infrastructure and cross-sectoral data integration are being developed at continental level to support coordinated action across Africa.
👉 Read the next article: Digital Public Infrastructure for Health Security
Regional Support Programme for Pandemic Prevention
February 2026