Portuguese training prepares health emergency teams in Praia
· BehindLines newsroom
A regional course on public health emergencies opened on November 9 in Praia, Cabo Verde, according to WHO Africa. Scheduled to run until November 20, it brings together 34 participants from Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The aim is to prepare trainers who can later pass on these skills in their own countries.
Language as an operational issue
Partner organization ProEpi is delivering the course in Portuguese. WHO says a shortage of specialist training in that language has hindered the development of teams and their participation in regional deployments. Exercises are intended to cover assigning responsibilities, making decisions, and mobilizing resources during an emergency.
The work also concerns centers that coordinate public health operations. These centers bring information together and organize personnel and resources. In the Cabo Verde archipelago, coordination must also take movement between islands into account.
A network with different skills
The course is part of AVoHC-SURGE, an initiative of WHO and Africa CDC. The strategic framework published by Africa CDC on August 14, 2025, describes AVoHC as a network of professionals who can be mobilized to support African states. Its expertise spans epidemiology, laboratories, logistics, communications, and data management, alongside physicians and social scientists. Experts work within countries’ existing emergency arrangements.
A step toward readiness
WHO’s stated ambition is to establish a pool of more than 50 government-nominated responders in each country. That number is a program objective, separate from the 34 participants attending the Praia course.
The results of the training remain to be assessed. The opening announcement describes exercises and the future transfer of skills; it does not yet measure an effect on response speed or population health. The practical challenge will be to connect trained personnel with clear procedures for mobilizing them.