MONROVIA – A senior executive of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and former Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), Cllr. Dr. Tolbert G. Nyenswah, has called on the Government of Liberia to make concrete financial commitments to healthcare, scientific research, innovation, technology and the development of the country’s public health workforce.
Speaking virtually as a guest speaker at the Fifth Emmet A. Dennis National Scientific Conference, Dr. Nyenswah said Liberia must move beyond its heavy dependence on external assistance and establish reliable domestic financing mechanisms to support healthcare delivery, disease surveillance, laboratories, research institutions and the training of Liberian scientists.
The conference, held under the theme “Strengthening Health Security in Liberia Through Research and Innovation,” brought together scientists, researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, academic institutions and development partners to discuss the future of public health research and health security in Liberia.
Dr. Nyenswah, who currently serves as Director of the Africa CDC Center for Public Health Emergencies Management and is also leading Africa CDC’s work in South Sudan, delivered his address from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was participating in institutional meetings on the Africa Pooled Procurement Mechanism and Africa CDC’s third-quarter performance review.
Liberia Must Finance Its Own Health Security
Dr. Nyenswah emphasized that one of the greatest weaknesses in Africa’s public health systems remains the lack of predictable domestic financing for disease prevention, preparedness, research and healthcare delivery.
He observed that governments and international partners frequently mobilize substantial resources during major disease outbreaks, but financial support often declines once the immediate emergency ends, leaving essential public health institutions struggling to maintain operations.
“Preparedness cannot depend on the arrival of the next epidemic—or the next donor grant,” Dr. Nyenswah told participants.
He called for increased national budgetary allocations to NPHIL, laboratory services, surveillance systems, public health research and the payment of healthcare workers.
The former NPHIL Director General also proposed the establishment of a National Public Health Research and Innovation Fund, supported by transparent and competitive financing arrangements. Such a fund, he explained, could provide grants to young Liberian scientists, universities and research institutions to investigate priority health problems affecting the country.
He further encouraged serious national discussions on innovative healthcare financing, including national health insurance and universal health coverage, to reduce the financial burden of medical treatment on ordinary Liberian families.
Dr. Nyenswah stressed that international development assistance remains important but should complement, rather than replace, the government’s responsibility to finance essential public services.
Government Must Take Greater Responsibility for Healthcare Delivery
Beyond epidemic preparedness, Dr. Nyenswah challenged Liberia to confront persistent weaknesses in basic healthcare delivery, particularly in rural communities.
He said investments in sophisticated laboratories, emergency operations centers and advanced technologies must be accompanied by government commitments to ensure that health facilities have trained personnel, essential medicines, reliable electricity, functioning equipment and adequate operating budgets.
According to him, Liberia cannot claim meaningful progress in health security while rural clinics remain without essential medicines and families struggle to obtain affordable medical care.
“A child in rural Liberia deserves treatment before a disease becomes an emergency. A pregnant woman deserves skilled care without facing financial ruin,” he declared.
He urged the government to prioritize healthcare worker salaries, medicine procurement, facility maintenance and equitable access to essential health services.
Building on Liberia’s Ebola Experience and the Establishment of NPHIL
Reflecting on Liberia’s experience during the devastating 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic, Dr. Nyenswah recalled the extraordinary sacrifices made by healthcare workers, surveillance officers, laboratory scientists, contact tracers, ambulance drivers, burial teams and community leaders.
As Liberia’s National Ebola Incident Manager, he helped coordinate the national response and subsequently played a leading role in the establishment and operationalization of NPHIL as its founding Director General.
He explained that the establishment of NPHIL was intended to ensure that Liberia would maintain permanent national capacity for disease surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, emergency management, research and workforce development.
During his administration, efforts were undertaken to strengthen emergency operations and incident management capacity across Liberia’s 15 counties, expand field epidemiology training, improve disease surveillance and advance laboratory and biomedical research capacity at the former Liberia Institute for Biomedical Research (LIBR).
“NPHIL was never meant to be an institution that becomes active only when an epidemic begins. It was established to protect Liberia every day,” he emphasized.
He called for continued investment in NPHIL’s institutional capacity, scientific leadership and operational independence within its national mandate.
Investing in Liberian Scientists, Universities and Research Institutions
Dr. Nyenswah devoted a significant portion of his address to the importance of developing Liberia’s own scientific workforce.
He recalled how, during his leadership at NPHIL, the institution worked with the University of Liberia, Emory University, the African Field Epidemiology Network, the United States CDC, WHO and other partners to support curriculum development for the University of Liberia’s first Master of Public Health program.
He also highlighted contributions to the development of Liberia’s first PhD program, recalling that he delivered the keynote address at its official launch.
He said these initiatives were intended to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign institutions for advanced scientific education and create opportunities for Liberians to conduct research on their own national health priorities.
“A country that wants to lead in science must be able to educate its own scientists, support its own faculty and investigate its own health problems,” he stated.
Dr. Nyenswah urged the Government of Liberia, NPHIL, universities and development partners to provide scholarships, research grants, mentorship, laboratory infrastructure and clear professional career pathways for young scientists.
He identified epidemiology, biostatistics, genomic surveillance, bioinformatics, digital health and laboratory sciences as important areas requiring sustained investment.
From Liberia’s Ebola Response to International Scientific Research
Drawing on his professional journey from a young cadet in Liberia’s health sector to senior national and continental public health leadership, Dr. Nyenswah encouraged young Liberians to pursue scientific careers with discipline and determination.
He recalled his earlier work in Liberia’s National Malaria Control Program, where he contributed to reforms that replaced chloroquine-based treatment policy with artemisinin-based combination therapies and expanded malaria prevention and control interventions.
He noted that national malaria prevalence estimates declined from approximately 66 percent in 2004 to 28 percent in 2011, reflecting the combined contributions of government, healthcare workers, communities and development partners.
Following his service in the Liberian government, Dr. Nyenswah pursued advanced academic and research work at Johns Hopkins University and the United States National Institutes of Health.
A graduate of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he earned both Master of Public Health and Doctor of Public Health degrees, he has contributed to 108 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including research published in internationally recognized journals.
He also co-authored Collapse and Resiliency, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, documenting the leadership decisions, challenges and lessons from Liberia’s Ebola epidemic.
He urged Liberian researchers to document and publish their scientific work so that the country’s experiences can contribute to international knowledge and future public health policy.
Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Emmet A. Dennis
Dr. Nyenswah described the scientific conference as particularly meaningful because he helped organize its inaugural edition in 2018 while serving as the founding Director General of NPHIL.
The first conference was organized under the theme “Fostering the Culture of Evidence-Based Public Health Practice and Research in Liberia.”
He said the conference’s evolution toward research and innovation demonstrates the importance of moving beyond scientific discussions to practical applications that improve healthcare and protect lives.
Dr. Nyenswah paid tribute to the late Dr. Emmet A. Dennis for his contributions to biomedical research, the University of Liberia and the development of Liberia’s scientific institutions.
He recalled that Dr. Dennis served as a founding member of NPHIL’s Board and that the molecular biology laboratory at LIBR was named in his honor.
He also highlighted Liberia’s research partnerships, including the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia (PREVAIL), and initiatives supporting Lassa fever research and vaccine development.
He stressed that international research partnerships should leave behind functioning laboratories, trained Liberian scientists, stronger ethical review systems and opportunities for national research leadership.
Africa CDC Executive Calls for Stronger Regional Cooperation
Addressing the growing threat of infectious diseases across Africa, Dr. Nyenswah emphasized that health emergencies cannot be effectively managed by individual countries acting alone.
He cited Africa CDC’s ongoing work with African Union Member States on disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, rapid response, laboratory systems and cross-border coordination.
Referring to the ongoing Bundibugyo ebolavirus disease outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the surrounding region, he explained that Africa CDC has been supporting preparedness and readiness in 11 high-risk countries.
He said Liberia must continue strengthening practical public health cooperation with Guinea, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire, particularly through shared surveillance systems, cross-border alerts, laboratory referral arrangements and coordinated emergency response mechanisms.
He reminded participants that infectious diseases do not respect national borders and that cooperation agreements must be operational before emergencies occur.
Five Priorities for Liberia’s Scientific Future
In concluding his address, Dr. Nyenswah outlined five priority actions for the Government of Liberia, NPHIL, universities and development partners:
- Strengthen NPHIL through predictable domestic financing, qualified leadership and sustained investment in laboratories, disease surveillance and emergency preparedness.
- Invest in scientific education and workforce development, including Liberia’s MPH, PhD and field epidemiology training programs.
- Establish transparent research and innovation financing, with competitive grants and opportunities for young Liberian scientists.
- Translate scientific evidence into national policy, ensuring that research findings inform healthcare financing, disease prevention and public health decision-making.
- Strengthen regional and international scientific partnerships that transfer technology, build institutional capacity and promote Liberian leadership in research.
Dr. Nyenswah also challenged the organizers to assess the conference’s long-term impact by measuring how many young scientists receive research grants, how many scientific papers are published, how many research findings influence government policy and how much domestic financing is committed to science.
He said these measurable achievements would determine whether the conference becomes a genuine instrument for improving public health rather than simply an annual scientific gathering.
Addressing students and young researchers, Dr. Nyenswah encouraged them not to underestimate humble professional beginnings, recalling his own journey from a cadet in Liberia’s health sector to leading the national Ebola response, helping establish NPHIL and serving in continental leadership at Africa CDC.
He thanked Interim NPHIL Director General Dr. Sia Wata Camanor, the organizing committee, participating scientists and academic institutions for sustaining the conference and preserving the legacy of Dr. Emmet A. Dennis.
The Africa CDC senior executive concluded by calling for stronger national commitment to healthcare, research and scientific development, emphasizing that Liberia’s future health security will depend on the investments and policy decisions made today.
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