Liberia One Health Coordination Platform Strengthens County-Level Coordination Through Rollout of Governance Manual

The Liberia One Health Coordination Platform (LOHCP), with support from the World Bank-funded Health Security Project (HeSP), has concluded a series of three-day workshops aimed at strengthening One Health coordination and implementation at the county level. The latest workshops were held from August 20 – 22, 2026, simultaneously in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, and Tubmanburg, Bomi County, bringing together representatives from six counties.

The Buchanan workshop brought together participants from Grand Bassa, Margibi, and Montserrado counties, while the Tubmanburg workshop brought together stakeholders from Bomi, Gbarpolu, and Grand Cape Mount counties. Participants included frontline professionals and key stakeholders from the human health, animal health, and environmental health sectors, as well as representatives of civil society organizations.

The workshops focused on the rollout of the Second Edition of the One Health Governance Manual, a key instrument for strengthening coordination and operationalizing the One Health approach in Liberia. The workshops also provided a platform for participants to deepen their understanding of the One Health approach, clarify coordination roles, and identify practical mechanisms for strengthening multisectoral collaboration at the county level.

The Second Edition builds on lessons and challenges identified during the implementation of the first edition, which was developed in 2018. It also responds to the evolving health security landscape by expanding the number of One Health Technical Working Groups from six to nine.

The six technical working groups established under the first edition – Surveillance; Laboratory; Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR); Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE); Workforce; and Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) – have been expanded to include Research and Innovation, Food Safety, and Points of Entry.

Speaking during the workshop in Buchanan, Advertus Nyan Mianah, National One Health Coordinator, called for sustained and concerted efforts among government institutions, partners, communities, and other stakeholders to protect the health of Liberia’s population, particularly in the context of a limited partner presence in the country.

At the Tubmanburg workshop, Moses Fomba, Director of the Community Health Department of the Bomi County Health Team, speaking on behalf of the County Health Officer, Dr. Annette Brima-Dennis, underscored the importance of maintaining and strengthening the One Health approach as Liberia works to advance health security.

Mr. Fomba reflected on the practical benefits of multisectoral coordination, noting that collaboration among sectors has contributed to improvements in disease surveillance and supported joint investigations during previous public health responses.

A similar three-day workshop was held in Ganta, Nimba County, from August 12 – 14, 2026, bringing together representatives from Bong, Lofa, and Nimba counties.

The rollout will continue in the coming weeks, with additional three-day workshops planned for Greenville, Sinoe County, bringing together stakeholders from Grand Kru, River Cess, and Sinoe counties, and Harper, Maryland County, bringing together participants from Grand Gedeh, Maryland, and River Gee counties. These sessions will further extend the rollout of the Second Edition of the One Health Governance Manual and strengthen multisectoral coordination across Liberia’s remaining counties.

Liberia adopted the One Health approach in 2017, establishing a framework for coordinated action across sectors whose work is interconnected with human, animal, and environmental health. The national One Health coordination structure operates through three principal levels: the Steering Committee, Technical Committee, and Technical Working Groups.

The rollout of the Second Edition of the One Health Governance Manual is expected to further strengthen this structure by improving coordination, clarifying institutional responsibilities, and supporting more effective collaboration among sectors at national and subnational levels.

As Liberia continues to strengthen its capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats, the LOHCP emphasizes that effective health security requires sustained collaboration across disciplines and sectors. The strengthened county-level One Health structures will therefore serve as an important foundation for coordinated action against emerging and re-emerging health threats.

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