WSO congratulates the African Stroke Organization on the occasion of its inauguration

15 Oct 2020

WSO President Prof Michael Brainin offers heartfelt congratulations and friendship in his message to the African Stroke Organization (ASO) on its inauguration and looks forward to working together in the future to reduce the global burden of stroke.

WSO President Prof Michael Brainin offers heartfelt congratulations and friendship in his message to the African Stroke Organization (ASO) on its inauguration as the continent's first regional stroke organization. Prof Brainin acknowledges the burden of stroke on the African continent and the need to work together to improve stroke prevention and care.

To mark its official launch, the ASO is hosting a Virtual Inauguration Webinar: Building to last - Growing an enduring framework to defeat stroke in Africa on Thursday 22nd October 2020 3.00 PM – 4.30 PM GMT.

Dr Rufus Akinyemi, Chair of the ASO Steering Committee notes that ‘the establishment of the ASO is a timely response to the escalating burden of stroke in Africa, particularly given its impact on economically productive people in the prime of life and the need to support people to age healthily’

‘With our vision, ‘reducing the burden of stroke in Africa’, ASO provides a strong platform to mobilize all stakeholders in Africa together with international partners to respond comprehensively to this escalating burden of stroke. ASO is people – focused and we will work with relevant regional and global partners to build capacity and influence policies and care practices relating to stroke and associated neurovascular disorders in Africa’

Mr Ad Adams Ebenezer, Secretary of the ASO Steering Group highlights the role of stroke support organisations (SSO’s) within ASO, ‘SSO’s across Africa are committed to joining professional groups focused on stroke, people affected by stroke and WSO in the movement to prevent strokes so that we can achieve for all a ‘life free from stroke’.

Mr Ebenezer added ‘African SSOs will continue to champion improvements in stroke care delivery and ensure that people affected by stroke have positive experiences in their stroke recovery journeys and for caregivers to access the support they need’.

We invite you all to join the the virtual inauguration of the African Stroke Organization! Details here

The Conceptual framework for establishing the African Stroke Organization was published in the International Journal of Stroke in February 2020.