This three day conference which attracted over one hundred and fifty participants from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone will help fast track and compliment efforts in the fight against ebola in the Mano River countries.

Over the three days the conference identified critical issues, voiced passions and found solutions to the poor health systems which became evidently clear during the ebola crisis.

According to Ute Pakpella who is the coordinator for DIFAEM her institution believes that there must be a collective effort through dialogue and community participation in member countries.

Mohamed Kone who is the National Coordinator for the fight against ebola in Guinea said that ebola struck Guinea because of lack of financial and human resource. He added that Guinea has put in place principles and operational measures to prevent other epidemic diseases in their country. He attributed the success in the fight against Ebola to the three main factors such as community engagement in the response locally, leveraging support of partners and stakeholders and the setting up of the National Coordination Centre.

The executive director of the new Africa Research and Development Agency in the Liberia Agency Lancedel Mathews spoke on the theme which leaves people open minded to express their views.

Alusine Kamara from the Ministry of Health said that the conference being held among the countries which form the Mano River Union is vital as they share a lot of thing in common such as intermarriages and trade.

To end the conference, areas that need attention were identified and project ideas that will enhance public and private sector partnership and support community driven health programmes were brought forward. AT least five of those project identified will receive funding in the second phase of the DIFAEM project.