Health Security

Health Security

Nigeria’s epidemic preparedness level–determined by an assessment of the country’s capacity to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health emergencies–has shown improvement over the years moving from 39% in 2017 to 54% in 2023. However, with the advent of COVID-19 and other emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases from monkeypox to diptheria to cholera, there are still significant ongoing threats to the country’s readiness.

“Now that we are armed with enhanced data analysis and predictive modeling skills, we are now significantly better prepared to respond to public health threats. The collaboration between DRASA and NCDC has fostered a new level of readiness. This training has not just been about capacity building—it has set a new standard for how we prepare for and respond to future pandemics.”- Director, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC)
“What I loved most about the public health emergency management training is how the facilitators delivered the learning sessions so that both team members who have medical backgrounds and those who do not, could understand. The modules were very helpful, especially those about disease notifications during emergencies. The manual was explicit and easy to grasp.”- Nursing Officer, Port Health Services, Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu
“I am very happy with the skills developed during our public health emergency management training. The training modules were helpful to me. I love the opportunity to build synergy with other border security agencies. I feel very confident to tackle any challenges that are given to me.”- Second-In-Charge, Port Health Service, Magama-Jibia Border, Katsina State
Our Solutions

As part of our commitment to supporting the government, DRASA is involved in preparedness and response efforts to address and improve the state of health security across the country.

1. Strengthening Emergency Response: We develop and deploy emergency response systems, structures, plans and training for government officials, health and security officials at the borders, leaders in border communities and stakeholders in neighboring countries who all play a critical role in cross-border intelligence and early detection of outbreaks and public health emergencies within our communities and at our entry points.

2. Conducting Simulations: We build and test the capacity of frontline health workers and border officials through simulations to prepare them to handle public health emergencies and ensure the response systems are operational and efficient.