A high level meeting took place on February 25, 2016 between a delegation of the West African Health Organization (WAHO) and the Human and Social Development Department (OSHD) of the African Development Bank to discuss further collaboration between the two institutions. The meeting was held at the Bank's headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Sunita Pitamber, OSHD's Acting Director, lauded the partnership, especially its joint efforts to fight the recent Ebola epidemic that affected the region.
Laurent Assogba, WAHO's Deputy Director General, appreciated AfDB's support towards addressing outbreak, awarding it a Certificate of Recognition. The Bank committed close to US $220 million, including budget support to the three affected West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
The collaboration between the two agencies feeds into at least three of the Bank's five strategic priorities, namely, industrialization, regional integration, and improvement of the living conditions of the African people. The latter will be realised through development of the pharmaceutical industry, establishment of the West African Center for Disease Control, as well as a continental nutrition program.