• Good morning, everyone, and welcome to this 3rd meeting of the ESPEN Steering Committee.
• It is a great pleasure for me to join you today for the first time, although I have been closely following-up on your work through what I consider to be regular interactions with the Chair, who unfortunately could not be here today due to other equally important engagements.
• I would like to start by thanking you all for accepting my invitation to be appointed as a member of the ESPEN Steering Committee, after your designation by your respective constituencies.
• From the Regional Office for Africa’s perspective, ESPEN is clearly on a path of becoming a success story for the Region.
• It is too early to see outcomes or talk about impact. But if the crowd assembled during the launch in May 2016 and the recent luncheon of April 2017 is anything to go by, we can at least say that the interest in and expectations about ESPEN are quite high and call for decisive and coordinated action from all of us.
• One year ago, the Steering Committee gathered for the first time in Accra. We planned ESPEN together in a number of previous meetings, and we dreamt of a project that could support the African Region to speed up elimination of 5 Neglected Tropical Diseases amenable to preventive chemotherapy.
• One year later, I have the distinct pleasure to inform you that we have a fully functional team in place.
• The recruitment process is completed, despite the anxiety and challenges we encountered, and some difficulties in attracting talented, experienced people to join us in Brazzaville.
• We have here with us Dr Maria Rebollo, ESPEN’s Team Leader and Dr Pauline Mwinzi, Technical Officer. Dr Didier Bakajika, technical officer, Mr Honorat Zoure, data manager and Mr Absolom Makoni, finance manager joined this month to complete the technical team. The Administrative Assistant also joined about two months ago but has since gone on maternity leave.
• ESPEN also has additional support from Dr Daniel Boakye, entomologist, who operates from the former APOC laboratory in Ouagadougou, with the generous support from the END Fund.
• I’m sure that with your support and guidance the new team will continue to go from strength to strength.
• So much has happened since the 2nd Steering Committee meeting in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
• For the next two days, you’ll be looking at
the progress made towards implementing the recommendations of the previous meeting;
assess our collective progress towards helping countries achieve their goals and targets;
and agree on plans for the near future.
• ESPEN has a special focus on achieving elimination of the targeted diseases from the Region. Demonstrating success on interrupting disease transmission and being able to stop treatments is a high priority.
• Togo’s success of achieving WHO’s validation of elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis as a public health problem highlights what can be accomplished in the Region if we remain focused, resources are mobilized on time and used efficiently and most importantly, if we work together on a coordinated, constructive manner.
• Three main pillars support ESPEN’s work and will be discussed over the next couple of days:
data driven approach to achieve elimination,
country ownership to ensure long term sustainability and strengthening of health systems,
accountable, trustworthy partnership where we hold each other accountable for what we agree to do and achieve together
• With these three pillars in mind, we will have the opportunity to agree on what ESPEN should be focusing on over the next year.
• We will also challenge ourselves to define how the impact of ESPEN’s work can be enhanced by working more closely with Ministries of Health and their partners.
• This will require a stronger communication and collaboration and it will result on more transparency and accountability from all of us.
• The role of the RPRG working closely with ESPEN to provide technical support to the countries will remain critical as we approach the important steps of elimination and surveillance.
• In closing, I’d like to reiterate how very encouraged and inspired I was by the excellent turnout at the NTD Summit last month.
• As you continue your planning over the next couple of days, remember that you have the goodwill and support of so many people.
• I’m sure that with the enthusiastic new team in place, and the Steering Committee’s collective goodwill, wisdom and guidance, ESPEN will continue to make great strides and will be able to celebrate elimination of at least some of the five NTDs by 2020.
• You are on the way to making history; keep it up. This is the way to a healthier, more prosperous Africa.
• I wish you a very productive meeting. Thank you!