Togo: strengthening the fight against epidemics thanks to the Pandemic Fund

Strengthening preparedness for public health emergencies through improved epidemiological surveillance, improved laboratory systems and the development of human resources in health is the aim of the Pandemic Response Fund project being implemented in Togo. In this article, Dr Amadou Baïlo Diallo, Acting Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Togo, looks back on this initiative, supported by WHO, under the leadership of the government and in partnership with FAO and UNICEF, IOM and the Togolese Red Cross.

Dr Diallo highlights the achievement of Togo, which is one of five African countries selected from 179 global applications to benefit from this fund. He highlights the importance of multisectoral collaboration, particularly through the “One Health” approach, to effectively respond to epidemic risks and public health emergencies. Looking ahead, Dr Diallo sets out the priorities and lessons learned to strengthen national capacities to respond to health crises in Togo over the next three years. 

1. Can you tell us about the Pandemic Fund project in Togo?

I have a good knowledge of the Pandemic Fund initiative for having coordinated at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, particularly at the Hub in Dakar (Senegal), the development of funding requests for West and Central African countries to be submitted to the Pandemic Fund for rounds 1 and 2 in 2023 and 2024 respectively. 

The project to strengthen preparedness and response to health emergencies in Togo, financed by the Pandemic Fund, is an innovation in the mobilization of financial resources to support middle-income countries including Togo in the fight against diseases with epidemic potential. 

In Togo, as in other countries supported by the Pandemic Fund, three areas of intervention are priorities. These are epidemiological surveillance and early warning, human resources and the laboratory system. 

Togo is one of the five (05) African countries whose proposal was selected out of 179 applications submitted to the Fund's Board of Directors. The implementation of this project in Togo is a concrete implementation of the operationalization of the national platform "One Health", a multi-sectoral platform in which the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Livestock, and Environment work together to strengthen the country's preparedness and response capacities to public health emergencies.  

The partners of this project in Togo are the Togolese government, represented by the Ministries respectively in charge of health, agriculture and livestock, and the environment, the WHO, the FAO and UNICEF. 

The pandemic control project in Togo has three objectives. It is about strengthening the system of detection, early warning and response to epidemics and pandemics. In addition, it is about improving the functionality and quality of the national laboratory network for the diagnosis of diseases with epidemic potential. And finally, the country is called upon to strengthen human resource capacities in human, animal and environmental health for emergency preparedness.

The implementation of the project has been underway since October 2023 through the allocation of resources to partners, the establishment of a technical coordination team for the project that brings together experts from the three key Ministries and implementing agencies, the development of a monitoring and evaluation plan, the development and implementation of quarterly action plans. The first annual technical report was prepared and submitted to the Pandemic Fund in June 2024 with a financial execution rate of 33%. 

2. For the next three years, what improvements would you like to see in pandemic prevention, preparation and national response capacity in Togo?

Overall, I am confident that under this project in Togo, with the combined efforts underway at both the national and partner levels, the core capacities of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) would be strengthened in the areas of prevention, detection and response to public health emergencies. 

Specifically for the next three years, we hope that convincing results will be obtained, namely: the strengthening of epidemic detection capacities through epidemiological surveillance and early warning activities and the strengthening of the capacities of human, animal and environmental health personnel for better preparation and response to public health emergencies. Other results: the strengthening of the national laboratory system for rapid confirmation of epidemics as well as the development of the multisectoral approach for preparation and response, without forgetting the reduction of morbidity and mortality linked to diseases with epidemic potential in Togo.   

3. What are the elements necessary for the success of a Pandemic Fund project in Togo?

The success factors of the Pandemic Fund project in Togo are threefold. First, it is the clear political will of the Togolese government to develop and implement a national health policy supported by the development and implementation of a National Health Development Plan (NHDP) which includes the mobilization of additional resources from partners for priority programs including preparation and response to public health emergencies. 

Then comes the Togolese government's adherence to global initiatives in favor of global public health and development such as the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), the "One Health" initiative, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

And finally, we welcome the willingness of technical and financial partners (TFPs) to harmonize their efforts to work together while aligning with the priorities of the Togolese government for better effectiveness of development aid. In the case of this project, a strong partnership is being established between WHO, UNICEF and FAO, which are the executing agencies. IOM and the Togolese Red Cross are contractors with WHO in the implementation of specific components of the project falling within their areas of expertise. 

4. What role does increased investment play in strengthening national capacities for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacity in Togo?

Obtaining this funding from the Pandemic Fund is a real success for the Togolese government and its partners, but also an opportunity to strengthen national capacities for emergency preparedness and response on the one hand, and an additional source of resources for strengthening Togo's national health system on the other. 

5. What lessons have been learned from past epidemics in Togo that could be applied in the implementation of the Pandemic Control Fund project in Togo (particularly in the areas of surveillance, laboratories and health personnel)?

There are many. These include the implementation of the regional strategy for integrated disease surveillance and response (SIMR), contingency plans to combat diseases with epidemic potential such as meningitis, yellow fever, Lassa fever, measles, cholera and the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as lessons learned from documenting the management of these emergencies through after-action reviews (AARs).

We can also mention the regular strengthening of the essential capacities of the (RSI 2005) and the use of the results of the different risk assessments including the joint external evaluation of the RSI 2005 which could be beneficial to the three priority areas of the Pandemic Fund which are surveillance, the laboratory system and the health workforce.

6. Your final word?

I would like to appeal to the actors and partners of the Togolese health system to continue their joint efforts to strengthen national capacities for preparing for and responding to public health emergencies. We must work together more on emergency preparedness because from experience, I can reassure that even a small amount of preparation is beneficial for an effective response to an emergency.

In short, the Pandemic Fund is an initiative to finance epidemic/pandemic preparedness made available to low- and middle-income countries, the implementation of which would contribute to strengthening the essential capacities of (RSI 2005). Togo and the technical and financial partners in health will spare no effort to enable the first round of this project to achieve its results while hoping that the second will be obtained immediately in order to support the country's efforts in effectively managing the impact of the Central Sahel crisis on the socio-health development of the Savannah region. Obtaining funding under the 2nd round of funding from the Pandemic Fund would also allow for consideration of the environmental determinants of epidemics and the fight against climate change. 

 About Dr. Diallo

Dr Amadou Baïlo Diallo is a medical epidemiologist with over 30 years of experience. Dr Diallo has extensive knowledge of developing countries, particularly in Africa. He has worked for the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2004 and is currently serving as the WHO Representative ad interim in Togo. Before joining WHO, Dr Diallo worked for the Guinean Ministry of Public Health, the National Malaria Control Centre in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and the International Centre for Health and Development Cooperation (Canada) respectively. In these capacities, Dr Diallo has contributed to the development of health systems in developing countries, particularly in the fight against tropical diseases, the management and evaluation of public health programmes, the training of health personnel and the fight against pandemics/epidemics (COVID-19, Ebola, Marburg, cholera, Rift Valley fever etc.). Dr Diallo is experienced in providing technical support for the development of communicable disease control policies and strategies, training programs, policy dialogue and advocacy, including research on priority public health programs with over 150 technical support and partnership development missions in over 30 countries in Africa, Europe and the Americas.

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