Brazzaville/Cotonou May 2010 -- The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa has handed over the management of the Regional Public Health Institute to the Government of Benin at a ceremony in Cotonou, Benin.

The institute was set up in 1977 by the Government of Benin through support from WHO with the aim of training a critical mass of skilled health personnel to support efforts towards improving health outcomes through the implementation of the primary health care.

After nearly thirty-three years of WHO running the affairs of the institute, a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed for the Government of Benin to manage the institute’s operations.

Speaking at the signing ceremony Dr Akpa Raphaël Gbary, WHO Representative of Benin reiterated the organization’s commitment to continue to provide technical support to the Government of Benin to strengthen the development of the Regional Public Health Institute, which he considers as an essential tool of reinforcing the institutional capacities, and sanitary development in the African Region.

In his remarks Professor Issifou Takpara, Minister of Health highlighted the crucial role that the institute is playing in the region and pointed out that it is necessary that the Government and its partners work to offer programs that are currently undertaken abroad at great expense.

Professor François A. Abiola, Minister of the Higher Education and Scientific Research said: "This agreement will allow the two contracting parties, to set off again on a new basis to contribute more efficiently to the development of this important regional institution."

Both parties have been engaged in discussions over the past few years to review the relationship between them and during the visit of the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo in April 2009, an agreement was reached to formalise this with an MOU. The MOU sets out a framework of cooperation aimed at strengthening technical cooperation in research and human resources development between the two parties.

Over the years, the Regional Public Health Institute in Cotonou has risen to become one of the renowned public health institutions in Africa and can boast of thousands of alumni in various health disciplines across the globe. It is in the process of being designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre.

Sited on a new campus in Ouidah, 40 kilometres from Cotonou, the institute offers a wide range of postgraduate courses including public health, management in reproductive health, medical entomology, nutrition and public health, epidemiology and a variety of Continuing Education programs.

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