Côte d’Ivoire national ethics committee engages with stakeholders

On 18 January 2022, the Côte d’Ivoire National Ethics Committee met with its stakeholders in Abidjan. The meeting was attended by representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU), a senior member from the Office of the Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Health Coverage and the Managing Director of the Ivorian Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority (Autorité Ivoirienne de Régulation Pharmaceutique (AIRP)). They commended Côte d’Ivoire National Ethics Committee on Life Science and Health for its relentless efforts and acknowledged the importance of a vibrant ethics body at the national level as well as institutional research ethics committees in various research institutions. The Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS) announced its willingness to help establish such institutional committees. The National Ethics Committee’s activities and the activities of the Côte d’Ivoire Ethics Capacity Building Initiative (CECaBI) project were presented. Participants felt that with the support of the national ethics committee, a permanent consultation framework should be set up to maintain the momentum from this meeting.