Migration and Health in West Africa: Capacity-building Support for Regional Health Programmes

This project is aimed at assisting seven West African countries to initiate, provide technical support to stakeholders and develop the following three new regional health and migration programmes: 1) mental health services offered to migrants returning to their countries of origin; 2) epidemiologic surveillance and responses at borders, and 3) reduction of HIV-AIDS vulnerability of truck drivers. The programmes will specifically look at the border zones where mobile populations are important and therefore more vulnerable to several epidemiological diseases. In addition, the project aims to assist in mobilizing new funding for future implementation of the three regional programmes.

The overall programme is a joint initiative of IOM, the West Africa Health Organization (WAHO), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEMOA). WHO will be associated in each target country through the promotion of the health migration dialogue recommended by the WHO 61st General Assembly Declaration on Migrants’ Health.