London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The conference, convened by the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) and partners, brought together over 800 participants including policymakers, scientists, health professionals, civil society, and donors to accelerate regional action against epidemic threats. 

Our lead Principal Investigator on the regional capacity building project participated in the high-level Ministerial Roundtable on Accelerating Lassa Fever Vaccine Readiness, co-chaired by Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, H.E. Dr. Muhammed Ali Pate, and Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Health, H.E. Pierre N’gou Dimba.  

Professor Ed Clarke, Vaccine and Immunity Theme Lead shared; “It was gratifying to see the level of commitment and emphasis on country ownership towards Lassa fever vaccine development from the Health Ministers in attendance.  This ultimately will be vital if this programme is to be a success in the long term.  The need to focus on community engagement from the outset was also re-iterated across the board.” 

The roundtable concluded with a Ministerial Communique, endorsed by Health Ministers including Hon. Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, the Gambian Minister of Health, committing to accelerate Lassa fever vaccine development and regional preparedness.   

Throughout the four-day conference, experts in research, community engagement and clinical trials contributed oral and poster presentations, highlighting lessons and outcomes from the Advancing Research Capacity in West Africa (ARC-WA) project and sharing next steps for strengthening research capacity in West Africa. 

As part of the conference, MRCG at LSHTM, in partnership with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), hosted a side event titled “Strengthening Clinical Trial Capacity and Advancing Regional Epidemic Preparedness for Lassa Fever: Lessons from the ARC-WA Project and Future Opportunities.” The session showcased achievements in infrastructure, training, laboratory upgrades, and community engagement at ARC-WA sites from the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Nigeria, the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria,  the Alex Ekwueme University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria, Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Nigeria and Kenema General Hospital, Sierra Leone, presented progress at their sites under the ARCWA project, a Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) - funded clinical trial capacity building initiative to efficiently conduct clinical trials in West Africa and to respond to emerging threats.  

Armel Zemsi, Head of the Clinical Trials Unit and Chairperson of the MRCG-IVI side event highlighted that our participation in the ECOWAS Lassa Fever International Conference reaffirms MRCG at LSHTM’s commitment to strengthening epidemic preparedness across West Africa. “We were proud to showcase the progress, and lessons learned under the ARC-WA project which aimed at strengthening vaccine trial infrastructure, skills, and community partnerships. These lessons demonstrate that with the right investment and collaboration, West Africa can build capacity not only to conduct high-quality vaccine trials, but also to prepare for emerging threats.” 

Highlight presentations included innovations in vaccine development and access, spotlighting ARC-WA’s role in expanding clinical trial capacity, results from a multi-country trial site assessment, identifying highly capable but under-recognised sites and outlining plans for a hub-and-spoke clinical trial network across West Africa and the unveiled the Mobile Clinical Trials Unit (CTU), a deployable facility designed to take clinical research directly to underserved and remote populations, reducing delays and widening access.  

Paul Oloo, Clinical Development Lead, CEPI and a panelist at the MRCG -IVI side event, said  “Lessons from the project showed how vital strong, sustainable trial infrastructure is for epidemic response in West Africa. What stood out to me was how essential collaboration, regulatory alignment, and knowledge sharing are for future preparedness and the 100 Day Mission. It was encouraging to see such a strong commitment to making research more locally driven and regionally relevant.”

Simone D’souza, Research Scientist at International Vaccine Institute and moderator of the MRCG -IVI session highlighted; “As the capacity-building activities have been guided by the sites themselves, drawing on their own knowledge and experience, the presentations offered insights into the significant progress achieved. As the project draws to a close, the conference was an opportune moment to reflect on the accomplishments, not only the capacity for clinical research at individual sites, but ultimately epidemic preparedness across the region.” 

MRCG at LSHTM’s active participation at conference underscored its role as a regional anchor institution, working alongside advanced centers, mentoring emerging ones, and fostering collaboration in building sustainable research capacity for epidemic readiness across West Africa.