The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has called for harmonised health training standards across ECOWAS member states to strengthen regional integration and improve healthcare delivery.
Pate made the call in Abuja on Monday at the Integration Meeting of Accredited West African Colleges, Training Institutions and Regulatory Bodies in the ECOWAS Region.
Represented by Dr. Dakum Londji, Nigeria’s liaison officer to WAHO and the African Union at the ministry, Pate said diseases did not respect national borders. He stressed that solutions, knowledge and health professionals should also be able to move freely across the region.
He said strong healthcare systems required a competent workforce supported by quality, harmonised education and training standards across West Africa.
Pate observed that differences in curricula, training standards and accreditation processes had limited professional mobility, weakened quality and restricted health workers’ opportunities to practise across the region.
He said the meeting provided an opportunity to address these challenges by setting common standards of excellence while respecting the national contexts of ECOWAS member states.
He identified harmonised curricula and standards, mutual recognition of qualifications, professional mobility, quality assurance and accountability as key priorities.
“Member states must agree on core competencies, minimum training standards and common accreditation criteria for health training colleges and educational institutions.
“Mutual recognition of qualifications will enable doctors, midwives and other health professionals trained in one ECOWAS country to practise confidently and credibly across the region,” he said.
Pate also called for stronger collaboration among regulatory bodies to promote data sharing, enforce professional ethics and ensure graduates were competent, compassionate and fit to practise.
He said the initiative aligned with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda and ongoing health sector reforms, which focused on strengthening training institutions, expanding accreditation and improving professional regulation.
He added that Nigeria was promoting digital learning and innovation to strengthen health professional education and improve healthcare delivery.
Describing regional integration as a necessity rather than an option, Pate urged stakeholders to make practical decisions and develop a clear implementation roadmap with timelines.
He commended WAHO, the ECOWAS Commission, regulatory bodies, training institutions and development partners for their contributions to strengthening health professional education across the region.
Pate expressed optimism that the deliberations would produce actionable decisions to advance harmonisation and regional cooperation.
