Charlie Brown, World Alliance president, visits West Africa

Few weeks after the first Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP 1) held in Geneva, Switzerland, President of the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, Charlie Brown, has embarked on a tour of West African countries.
Brown, who visited Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin from 21 to 25 October, 2017 had discussions with government officials, dentist educators and a military dentist.
The World Alliance President, together with the President of the African Centre for Environmental Health, Dominique Bally, an Ivoirian, are partnering with environmental Non-Government Organisations, Les Amis de la Terre in Togo and with GAPROFFA in Benin.
While delivering his opening speech at COP 1, Brown salutes the work of the Africa region and of the African governments in the march toward mercury-free dentistry.
He said, “The Abuja Declaration for Mercury-Free Dentistry for Africa sets the pace. The government of Mauritius ended amalgam use for children. Dental schools from “Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria across to Tanzania and Kenya have made major curriculum shifts to educate this generation of dentists.
“Dental mercury is a major source of black-market mercury in illegal gold mining. If we end dental amalgam, we have a 2-fold gain.”
The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry will also visit Nigeria early November before he returns to his base in U.S.