ECOWAS is strengthening its capacity to respond to health emergencies. In Lomé, 30 fully equipped ambulances were officially handed over to the recipient states. These vehicles, accompanied by medical equipment valued at 19 billion 715 million CFA francs, are intended to improve patient evacuations and pre-hospital care. This regional initiative now marks the start of the on-the-ground deployment phase.
This symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by the donation agreement, officially marked the handover of 30 E3-type ambulances to beneficiary ECOWAS Member States. In Lomé, Togo, the ceremony also marked the launch of the regional deployment of these vehicles. Presented as genuine “mobile healthcare centres”, the ambulances are intended to bring emergency services closer to communities and strengthen the final link in the healthcare chain. On board is medical equipment worth 19 billion 715 million CFA francs. The objective is to facilitate evacuations, reduce delays in accessing care and respond more effectively to accidents, severe trauma, obstetric emergencies, epidemics and disasters.
We strongly welcome any initiative that enables countries to have additional resources or improve patient care. For Togo, hosting this ceremony today, ahead of the deployment of the ambulances to the beneficiary ECOWAS Member States, is also a way of contributing to the collective effort.
Jean-Marie Koffi Ewonoulé Tessi, Minister of Health
The Red Cross demonstration then gave a practical dimension to pre-hospital care. Two unconscious polytrauma victims underwent a rescue and stretcher operation, from immobilisation through to their transfer into an ambulance. The 30 E3-type vehicles, equipped with medical equipment, are therefore expected to strengthen national emergency response systems. The teams responsible for operating them have also been trained in their use and maintenance.
The ambulances currently before us are a concrete asset for resilience. As part of the regional architecture we have described, they are helping to bridge the final kilometres of the healthcare response, bringing it right into communities and even into households, where we can now intervene more effectively.
Melchior Athanase AÏSSI, Director General of WAHO
Having means of transport equipped with appropriate medical equipment not only helps save lives, but also brings essential services closer to the population, particularly those living in rural and remote areas. The ambulances we are handing over today therefore represent much more than simple healthcare vehicles. They embody our commitment to reducing inequalities in access to healthcare, strengthening the continuity of health services and advancing towards our shared goal of universal health coverage.
Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission
Led by WAHO with the support of UNOPS, the initiative is based on a regional response to health emergencies. ECOWAS now intends to ensure the deployment, maintenance and integration of the ambulances into national emergency response systems, with trained personnel. These 30 vehicles are expected to strengthen care capabilities and bring healthcare closer to communities, particularly in rural and remote areas.
