Viral Hepatitis Elimination Program
Smile Coast of Africa (VHEP-SMILE)

A regional initiative supporting West African countries to translate hepatitis B policy into practice.

About VHEP-Smile

VHEP-SMILE, led by Dr. Robert Gish, is a regional coordination and technical support initiative working with Ministries of Health and partners across West Africa to strengthen hepatitis B prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. The program focuses on guideline implementation, access to affordable care, and system readiness for elimination.

VHEP-SMILE supports countries in operationalizing WHO-recommended hepatitis B strategies by aligning policy, clinical practice, and access pathways. The program serves as a neutral coordination platform, facilitating technical assistance, partnerships, and regional learning.

Regional coordination and country engagement
Policy-to-implementation support
Partner and donor alignment
Focus on sustainability and scale

Countries Engaged

  • Benin
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guinea Conakry
  • Liberia
  • Mauritania
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • The Gambia
  • Togo
Webinar Recording

VCTE in Liver Disease Staging & Clinical Care Pathways

Thank you to everyone who joined our webinar. The recordings are now available below in English and French.

English Session

Watch on YouTube

Session en Français

Regarder sur YouTube
Download the webinar flyer: Flyer (English) Flyer (Français)

What We Do

Policy & Guidelines

Supporting national hepatitis B guideline development and implementation.

Access to Medicines & Diagnostics

Facilitating affordable access pathways for treatment and diagnostics scale-up.

Capacity Building & Technical Exchange

Regional webinars, expert engagement, and country-to-country learning.

Regional Coordination

Aligning governments, partners, and donors to accelerate elimination progress.

Leadership

Robert G. Gish

Dr. Robert Gish
Global Hepatitis Expert

Program Coordination

VHEP-SMILE is supported by a regional project management and coordination team ensuring continuity, follow-up, and partner engagement.

Partners & Collaborators

VHEP-SMILE works in collaboration with clinical leaders, governments and international partners, including:

Ministries of Health
Hepatitis B Foundation
Academic and technical partners
Access and implementation partners

Partner Organizations

Resources & Updates
Coming Soon

Country Updates

Country coordination updates as available.

Coming Soon

Publications

Key publications and presentations.

Coming Soon

Webinars & Events

Selected webinars and regional events.

Get in Touch


For partnership and collaboration, contact Africa@robertgish.com or send us a message through the form below.