The Cross River State Ministry of Health has strengthened its commitment to ethical and responsible health research with a two-day retraining programme for members of the State Health Research Ethics Committee, focusing on the protection of human participants and responsible conduct of research.
The capacity-building retreat, held on Wednesday, September 9 and Thursday, September 10, 2026, in Calabar, was organised under the theme, “Mitigating Irresponsible Conduct of Research Through Community Partnership.”
The training brought together health officers, academic staff from the University of Calabar, directors of medical and nursing services, academic partners and other practitioners to strengthen their capacity to provide effective ethical oversight of health research across the state.
Representing the Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Jonah Bassey, declared the meeting open and stressed the importance of ethical oversight in maintaining public confidence in the healthcare system.
According to Bassey, developments in clinical practice, public health interventions, research, technology and health-data management make it increasingly important to protect the rights, safety, dignity and welfare of individuals and communities.
“It is with a deep sense of humility and great honor that I stand before you today on this important occasion of the retraining and last census of members of the Cross River State Ministry of Health Ethical Committee to formally declare this two-day meeting open,” he said.
He added that the ethics committee should be seen beyond its regulatory function, describing it as a critical safeguard for ethical standards and public trust in healthcare and research.
“An ethical committee is therefore not merely a regulatory requirement; it is a guardian of ethical standards and public trust,” Bassey stated, stressing that the biannual retraining would help ensure that research conducted in Cross River maintains scientific integrity while protecting human participants from exploitation.
The Lead Training Facilitator and Director of the Centre for Research Ethics and Bioethics Training at the University of Lagos, Professor Kola Oyedeji, said the retraining was designed to refresh members’ foundational knowledge while introducing new developments and correcting misconceptions that may have emerged in the course of their duties.
Oyedeji said the participation of UNICAL academics, health directors and other committee members had made the programme particularly valuable, noting that some discussions had challenged previously held assumptions about research ethics and procedures.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the National Health Research Ethics Committee, Professor Oliver Ezechi, emphasised the need for strict governance of clinical trials and proper regulatory review of research protocols. He stressed that clinical trial protocols must undergo the required reviews by relevant regulatory and ethics bodies, including NAFDAC and ethics committees.
Ezechi also underscored the importance of community participation in health research, declaring: “You cannot do a project in a community without partnering with that community.”
The retreat further focused on strengthening the committee members’ competencies in ethical review, research documentation, regulatory compliance and community engagement, with the ultimate objective of improving the quality and integrity of health research conducted across Cross River State.
