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The International Ecohealth Forum 2008 (IEF 2008) was auspicious for the CoPEH -WCA, said Pr Benjamin Fayomi , who noted that the event represented the beginning and continuation of many relationships for him.

Pr Fayomi , whose principal objectives were raising the profile of the CoPEH -WCA and understanding what other CoPEHs are doing, said the Forum far surpassed his expectations. He not only achieved his goals but also met potential partners and strengthened existing relationships. He furthered his mission to expand the base of ecohealth practitioners in all of Africa.

The youngest of the existing CoPEHs, founded in 2006, CoPEH -WCA (CoPES -AOC in French) is still growing; the Forum presented the first major opportunity to promote its work and goals.

Pr Fayomi said he and some of his team members participated in all joint CoPEH and thematic meetings, and also made a point of meeting individual researchers from the other CoPEHs. Researchers exchanged ideas and methodological approaches, and planted the seeds for potential collaboration.

Starting new relationships and nurturing existing ones was important, reported Pr Fayomi . Such partnerships bring the ecohealth approach across the African continent, and bring the experience of Africa to the world. Pr Fayomi has already followed up on new contacts, particularly those who are working in education and training, his field of expertise.

He said he plans to apply principles from the ecohealth training program established by the CoPEH -TLAC (Latin America and the Caribbean). Pr Fayomi is also engaged in discussion with another CoPEH member who has provided ethics-in-research training, for which there is a need in Africa.

Pr Fayomi met fellow researchers in Guinea-Conakry, Kenya, and Senegal who have been conducting informal work in ecohealth. He is already collaborating with a new colleague on mining and human health issues in Guinea-Conakry, and plans are under way to hold a meeting for the network of African researchers and practitioners who met at IEF 2008.

Pr Fayomi said he sees the International Association of Ecology and Health (IAEH) as playing a central role in fostering collaboration among researchers. For the CoPEH -WCA, the association represents an effective way to reach out internationally. What happens in Africa has global repercussions.

The association is particularly important in reuniting and networking young CoPEH -WCA researchers. Such a network keeps researchers abreast of developments in ecohealth and ensures that all the effort involved in training this new generation is not lost.

Pr Fayomi’s vision to transform CoPEH -WCA into a CoPEH -Africa is ambitious but necessary: “We need to get organized and keep the momentum going in order to have in place the next generation of ecohealth researchers in Africa.” 

Community of Practice in EcoHealth—West and Central African Region
CoPEH -TLAC (Latin America and the Caribbean)
International Association of Ecology and Health

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