Lagos Concludes Five Day Health Security Work shop Deepens Biosecurity Preparedness.

Lagos State today concluded its intensive five-day State Action Plan for Health Security (SAPHS) development workshop, marking a critical step toward strengthening its defense against biological threats. Held from Monday, November 24th to Friday, November 28th, 2025, the workshop at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry gathered a powerful coalition of One Health stakeholders from the state, alongside international experts from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), US CDC, Research Triangle Institute (RTI), and Resolve to Save Lives. The central objective of this high-level collaboration was to craft Lagos' comprehensive five-year health security roadmap.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, delivered a stark message to participants, declaring that Lagos must maintain a "permanent state of readiness" for emerging biological threats. Drawing on the state's difficult but vital lessons from outbreaks like Ebola, COVID-19, and the most recent cholera crisis, Prof. Abayomi emphasized that strong biosecurity is inseparable from a resilient health system capable of decisive response. He specifically highlighted the critical role of crisis communication and public confidence during emergencies, noting that a breakdown in confidence could quickly escalate outbreaks into major social disorder, underscoring the necessity for robust inter-agency coordination.

​Prof. Abayomi further warned that high-consequence pathogens, including the hypothetical but globally feared “Pathogen X,” pose an ever-present danger, with many lacking immediate treatment or vaccines. He stressed the ongoing global challenge of distinguishing between natural outbreaks and potential biological weapon threats, which necessitates the immediate need for Lagos to invest continuously.

Key areas for investment include surveillance systems, oxygen capacity, public health infrastructure, and workforce retention, affirming that while readiness is expensive, it is absolutely unavoidable for a mega-city like Lagos.

​The commitment of Lagos to this roadmap was strongly endorsed by partners. Dr. Olubunmi Olofa, Deputy Director of the NCDC, expressed satisfaction that Lagos was translating its Joint External Evaluation (JEE) findings where the state scored 36 in 2024 into concrete action. He underscored that the score was a realistic reflection of capacity, not a failure, and stressed the necessity of dedicated budget lines for effective SAPHS implementation. Furthermore, Dr. Olusola Abioye of RTI emphasized Lagos’ pivotal role in global health security due to its international travel connections and high population density, highlighting that the five-year plan will strengthen its ability to prevent, detect, and respond to future health crises

Complementing the planning efforts, the state's internal capacity is already being upgraded. Dr. Ismail Abdus-Salam, Director of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, confirmed that the Lagos Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) is now better staffed and undergoing major refurbishment. He expressed confidence that the combined efforts of the workshop, which was delayed for over a year due to scheduling conflicts, would yield well-costed, achievable, and sustainable strategies. The imminent upgrades to the PHEOC are set to position it as a modern and fully functional emergency coordination hub, essential for the execution of the new five-year health security plan..