The use of simulation exercises helps ensure that public health emergency management systems are in place and functional. With the aim of equipping Member States with hands-on Simulation exercise facilitators and of building and maintaining a network of the latter, WHO Regional Office for Africa organized, with the support of the World Bank and the West Africa Health Organization, a regional training workshop on conducting simulation exercises (SimEx) to enhance emergency preparedness and response and to further build national IHR capacity.

The meeting gathered 35 participants, public health professionals from MoH and WHO, from seven countries, including; Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Participants representing countries targeted by the reinforcing epidemiological surveillance and response systems project in the West Africa Region, were introduced to the concepts of the WHO SimEx Manual (2017), then trained to identify the type of simulation that fits best their needs in different situations. Through practice during the workshop, the WHO facilitation team made sure participants demonstrated, before leaving Lomé, the skills to plan, design, implement and evaluate the different types of exercises.

At the end of the workshop, participants were recommended to follow up on the national road map they developed for implementation of SimEx in their respective countries, selecting exercises in a progressive fashion, taking into account each country’s context, available national resources and expertise.

The participants’ feedback (cf. graphic) indicated that they enjoyed the interactive workshop and its value for the development of their knowledge and skills. The overall quality of the course material received the highest score, while the course time and pace of the course were the two areas to be improved. Overall, all participants indicated that their expectations were met and that the workshop objectives were achieved.