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The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) has donated laboratory equipment valued at over €1.5 million to Guinea-Bissau to enhance disease detection, epidemiological monitoring, and the country’s capacity to handle public health emergencies.
The equipment, valued at €1,511,499.77, was handed over on August 19 at Guinea-Bissau’s National Public Health Laboratory (LNSP) under the “Strengthening of Epidemiological Services and Health Systems in the ECOWAS Region (PROALAB)” project.
Germany funds the project through KfW Entwicklungsbank.
WAHO said the investment is expected to strengthen the capacity of the National Public Health Laboratory and contribute to “improved laboratory diagnostics, epidemiological surveillance and Guinea-Bissau’s capacity to respond to public health threats.”
At the handover ceremony, WAHO Director General Dr Melchior Athanase Joël C. Aïssi formally transferred the equipment to Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Public Health, Commodore Dr Quinhin Nantote.
ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea-Bissau, Ambassador Ngozi Ukaeje, graced the ceremony.
Also present were WAHO’s focal point in Guinea-Bissau, Dr Plácido Cardoso, and the Director General of the National Public Health Laboratory, Dr Baltazar Cá.
The intervention is part of ECOWAS’s efforts to strengthen laboratory systems across the region, particularly the infrastructure needed to identify and monitor diseases before they develop into wider public health emergencies.
For Guinea-Bissau, strengthening the LNSP is expected to improve the country’s capacity to conduct laboratory diagnostics and generate information needed for epidemiological surveillance.
The €1.5 million equipment package therefore represents not only an infrastructure investment but also a boost to regional health security, as stronger national laboratories can improve the early detection and monitoring of infectious disease threats.
WAHO said the handover was part of the PROALAB project, which focuses on strengthening epidemiological services and health systems across the ECOWAS region with support from Germany through KfW Entwicklungsbank.
The organisation described the equipment as an investment that will strengthen the National Public Health Laboratory and support Guinea-Bissau’s ability to respond to public health threats.
With the equipment now handed over to Guinea-Bissau, the National Public Health Laboratory is expected to play a stronger role in disease diagnosis, surveillance and preparedness for future health emergencies.
WAHO HANDS OVER LABORATORY EQUIPMENT WORTH MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION EUROS TO GUINEA-BISSAU
The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) officially handed over laboratory equipment to the Government of Guinea-Bissau on the 19th of August 2026, in Guinea- Bissau as part of the… pic.twitter.com/QUU8kiH6UM
— Ecowas – Cedeao (@ecowas_cedeao) August 26, 2026
