Abuja, 30th  July 2014 - Second leg of the quarterly Zonal meetings has been successfully conducted for the Northern and Southern zones between 21st-27th July, 2014 in Minna and Calabar respectively with the overriding objective of strengthening the monitoring and evaluation system in the IVE Unit of the WCO Nigeria, in response to the need for preparing the Country Office for Polio end-game and Legacy.

Declaring both meetings opened, Dr. Richard Banda, the acting IVE Focal Person echoed recent Independent Monitoring Board’s position on Nigeria with respect to programmatic achievements recorded in the Polio Eradication initiative: including; 85% reduction in WPV, 50% decrease in number of unimmunized children, Introduction of Penta Vaccine in all the states of the federation and a marked improvements in ADC with reduction of outbreaks

Though these achievements are significant and justifiable cause for celebration, he cautioned against complacency as the successes gained so far are fragile and could easily be reversed unless implementation of planned activities remained religious and robust with existing Accountability Framework for WHO personnel reinforced. He lauded the framework, indicating that it ensures there is enough support for implementation of key activities for Interruption of WPV transmission as elaborated in the ERC/IMB recommendations, strengthen surveillance for VPDs and IDSR, reduction of unimmunized age cohort and introduction of new vaccines by December 2014’.

To be sure, Dr. Banda mentioned that there will be continuation of monthly monitoring based on SOPs and selected deliverables, quarterly implementation of accountability framework and periodic rotation of staff based on periods of stay at duty station, competence and programme requirements.

In the two (2) States, the partnership forged with government was evident as their representatives presented very positive goodwill messages during the opening sessions. Their separate views were succinctly summarized by the Cross-River State Honourable Commissioner for Health Professor Angela Oyo-Ita who figuratively described ‘WHO as the father of health’ and underscored Cross River state’s enormous benefit from WHO’s leadership role in health. She also stressed on the need for ‘continued collaboration with WHO’, and promised that the State will implement all the action points adopted at the end of the meeting.

Participants at the meetings included Zonal and State technical officers as well as Operations and Administrative support staff.

 
01 Cross River State COmmissioner for Health, Professor Angela Oyo-Ita at the Southern Zone Review Meeting
02 Group Photograph of the Northern Zone Meeting held in Minna
03 Participants and Facilitators at the Southern Zone Review meeting in Calabar
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For more information, please contact:

Charity Warigon
Email:  warigonc [at] who.int