On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I warmly welcome you to the Wastewater & Environmental Surveillance Meeting, a vital gathering seeking to address some of the most pressing health and environmental challenges facing Africa and the world today.

As we convene, we acknowledge that the urgent crises of emerging infectious diseases, escalating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and threats to water security require a paradigm shift. The conventional approach to infectious disease surveillance and management is no longer sufficient. These global threats remind us that human, animal, and environmental health are intrinsically linked—a realization that makes the One Health framework not just a philosophy, but an imperative.

This meeting is a clarion call to researchers, policymakers, water utility managers, and industry innovators. It is only through unity and advanced scientific thinking that we can forge new paths toward a resilient public health future.

The Wastewater & Environmental Surveillance Meeting represents a pioneering effort in the region, bringing together leaders from various sectors to discuss the vital role of environmental monitoring in early warning systems. Our theme—”Harnessing Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance – A One Health and Disease Control Tool”— underscores our collective responsibility to translate environmental data into actionable health policy.

We aim to inspire dialogue around innovative strategies that promote robust WES methods, cutting-edge data integration using dashboards, and solutions for sustainable scaling across diverse settings. We recognize that integrating surveillance data into national health systems is essential for fostering preemptive disease control.

We invite you to share your knowledge, insights, and empirical research, fostering an environment of collaboration and networking that will enrich our understanding and guide our actions. This is a moment to explore actionable insights, develop practical solutions, and prepare for a sustainable future where environmental health is integral to community well-being.

Thank you for being a part of this vital mission. Once again, we warmly welcome you to the conference!

Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo

Former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi