PRO-HEALTH INTERNATIONAL HOSTS COMBINED GRADUATION CEREMONY FOR PHEM AND PHEPRR COHORTS
PRO-HEALTH INTERNATIONAL HOSTS COMBINED GRADUATION CEREMONY FOR PHEM AND PHEPRR COHORTS
Pro-Health International hosted the Combined Graduation Ceremony of the West Africa Regional Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) Intermediate Certification Programme, Cohort 2, and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery (PHEPRR) Fellowship, Cohort 3, today at Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.
The ceremony brought together public health professionals from across the West Africa region, alongside government representatives, development partners, facilitators, and leaders in public health, to mark the completion of two intensive capacity-building programmes focused on strengthening the region’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies.
Representing the United States Government. Mr Brandon Hudspeth was among the distinguished guests at the ceremony. His presence reflected the continued importance of international collaboration in strengthening public health emergency preparedness and regional health security.
The ceremony also brought together representatives from key institutions, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Lagos State Ministry of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC), the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and Pro-Health International.
Welcoming guests and graduates, Dr. Iko Ibanga, Executive Director of Pro-Health International, reflected on the significance of bringing the two cohorts together. The ceremony was not simply a celebration of certificates; it marked the completion of a journey of learning, collaboration, practical engagement, and preparation for the responsibilities that come with strengthening health security across the region.
Representing the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Abdulsalam Ismail spoke to the importance of strengthening the capacity of the public health workforce, while Dr. Olaolu Aderinola, representing the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, also joined other dignitaries in recognising the importance of building stronger systems for emergency preparedness and response.
A goodwill message was delivered by Dr. Ayoola Oyinloye, Country Lead, U.K. Health Security Agency, who left the graduates with a simple but important challenge as they received their certificates.
The questions were:
What will I apply?
What will I share?
And what will I do differently?
Those questions captured the deeper purpose of the graduation.
For the graduates, the journey therefore does not end with today’s ceremony. It moves into a new phase: taking knowledge into practice, sharing it with others, strengthening systems, and contributing to better preparedness and response to public health emergencies across the region.
The ceremony continued with valedictory reflections from representatives of the graduating PHEM and PHEPRR cohorts, followed by the presentation of certificates and graduation plaques, anchored by Dr. Muhammad Saleh.
Closing the ceremony, Dr. Meghna Desai, U.S. CDC Country Director, joined other leaders in celebrating the graduates and encouraging them to carry the lessons of the programmes into their respective professional spaces.