By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Director General of the Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD), Dr. Leo-Angelo Viashima, has called for the adoption of the One Health approach in the state’s health sector, stressing the need for stronger collaboration across critical sectors to improve health outcomes in line with the vision of the Governor Hyacinth Alia-led administration.

Dr. Viashima made the call at the 2026 First Quarter Health Sector Coordinating Meeting organised by the Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services with support from Terres des Hommes (Tdh).

He explained that the One Health approach is a collaborative, multisectoral strategy designed to achieve optimal health outcomes by integrating efforts across sectors that directly or indirectly impact public health.

“The common theme of One Health is collaboration across sectors. It involves thinking and working beyond silos, optimizing resources and efforts while still respecting the autonomy of various sectors,” he said.

According to him, adopting the approach would enhance understanding of the co-benefits, risks, trade-offs, and opportunities needed to drive equitable and holistic health solutions.

Citing practical implications, Viashima noted that broader representation at health meetings would reflect the One Health model in action.

“In Benue State, if we were fully practicing One Health, this meeting would have had Commissioners for Water Resources, Women Affairs, Education, Agriculture, Finance, about seven commissioners in attendance.

“These are all critical stakeholders. We would also have members of the state’s security architecture present, because Primary Healthcare Centres and General Hospitals require adequate security to function effectively,” he said.

The Director General disclosed that discussions were ongoing with the State Commissioner for Health to convene a One Health Summit to deepen awareness and coordination. “We have discussed with the Health Commissioner, and he assured that as part of his achievements, he would like to see the One Health Summit come to life,” Viashima added.

While soliciting the support of development partners in its implementation, Dr. Viashima said, “the summit will provide an opportunity to address some of the major health challenges facing the state.”

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Paul Ogwuche, represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr. Joshua Agbadu, said the meeting aimed to strengthen coordination among stakeholders and improve health service delivery.

“The purpose of this meeting is to strengthen coordination among stakeholders, review ongoing interventions, and enhance collaboration toward improving health outcomes across the state,” Agbadu said.

He added that the forum serves as a platform to align partners’ activities with government priorities. “This is where we assess what has been done, identify gaps, and make recommendations for the way forward. I must say we are impressed with the feedback received and the quality of deliberations,” he noted.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Health Insurance Agency, Prof. Kenneth Korve, described the meeting as a longstanding platform for harmonising the activities of development partners in the state.

“Most partners receive funding from international donors and implement various health programmes. They are expected to register with the Ministry of Health and work in alignment with state priorities,” he said.

Korve explained that partners’ interventions span a wide range of areas, including nutrition, immunisation, tuberculosis, HIV, leprosy, and healthcare services in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and host communities.

“Organisations like WHO and UNICEF play key roles. WHO provides leadership in health interventions, while UNICEF has been instrumental in immunisation and maternal and child health programmes,” he added.

He further revealed that UNICEF recently supported the agency in providing health insurance coverage for 2,500 residents in 2026.

Highlights of the meeting included a presentation by Cornelius Ayantse on the First Quarter implementation progress of development partners under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) priority areas.

The report outlined key achievements, challenges encountered in service delivery, and recommendations to strengthen the state’s health system and ensure sustainability ahead of the 2026 Annual Operational Plan cycle.

In attendance at the meeting were top government officials and representatives of development partners, Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, and Non-Governmental Organizations, NGOs, implementing health interventions across Benue State.