In Uganda, a number of crucial players in achievement of national One Health goals have been moving ever so stealthily, and yet their impact is now understood to be very monumental as the country moves towards implementation of a One Health Strategic Plan.
Some have been absent, others merely underrepresented, with actors such as the Ministry of Finance, political leaders, faith-based institutions, media and local governments barely firing on all cylinders.
In a webinar titled ‘The Silent Influencers of One Health in Uganda: Lessons in Power, Policy and Partnerships’, held on April 24 on the Africa Science Dialogue portal, two Ugandan scientists highlighted key hits and misses in an eventful journey towards implementing this National One Health Strategy.
Prof. Clovice Kankya, who is Head of the Department of Biosecurity, Ecosystems and Veterinary Public Health at Makerere University, recounted the journey so far.
He detailed the process they took in a baseline study, starting with desktop reviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions, as well as a stakeholder identification and net mapping activity that was led by ISAAA AfriCenter.
He listed the key linkages identified between stakeholders identified through the net mapping process, including collaboration, funding, capacity building and advocacy. And with these, a few observations.
“We noted that development partners are some of the biggest players in One Health, with the Ministry of Health one of the biggest beneficiaries of funding. The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development does not receive or provide funds directly to One Health. But collaboration is, generally, strong. The Ministry of Education and Sports is strongly linked, but the political class and faith-based organizations are not some of the most effective collaborators.”
Politicians were identified as appropriate advocates, albeit they barely participate in capacity building.
And probably due to the aloofness of some players who could play very critical links, there was weak One Health governance linkages in Uganda, low prioritization in lower government structures, and implications for One Health activity prioritization in various government levels, which calls for increased attention.
Dr. Fred Monje, the One Health Focal Person in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in Uganda, said that deliberate efforts were being made to ensure that these silent players were involved a lot more in the discourse so they would own the initiative.
“They are actively called upon to be part of the implementation, including quarterly meetings, to make them well acquainted with the process. We have had meetings to create awareness,” he said. “In drafting pandemic proposal calls, for example, The Ministry of Finance has been part of the writers of the proposal, and as they are in the process of lobbying, they appreciate what is happening and own it.”
Other key influencers such as The Ministry of Education have actively lobbied to have One Health introduced as part of curriculum from early stages. The Ministry of Finance, The Prime Minister’s office and the President’s Office have now all been involved “as they have better say with regard to the economy”, according to Prof Kankya. “When they are in the know, the problem can be easier to solve.”
The integration of these silent players is at over 80 percent, he estimated.
Dr Monje said that in The National OH Platform, they are engaging sectors to identify champions at various levels.
“There are many sector priorities and so actors must come together and decide on aspects that touch on all those sectors to ensure there is systematic implementation.”
They have set their sights on the National OH Strategic Plan – which will help in effective coordination and implementation of OH – in areas such as zoonotic diseases, food safety, biosafety and biosecurity, climate change, and antimicrobial resistance. In the plan, they are keen to refer to all documents necessary – national and international – to ensure alignment with national, regional and global priorities.
In addition to those efforts, district and subcounty One Health teams are responsible for addressing and escalating issues at community level, thus helping in quick and efficient resolution. Dr Monje said that they have found a way to increase collaboration between departments that have capacities that could be shared, such as for cold chains where vet labs, for example, without cold chains could use idle capacity in referral hospitals within their localities at no cost.
The private sector is also being actively engaged where parent associations are being involved in discussions, involving in formulation of multisectoral plans.
ISAAA AfriCenter Director Dr Margaret Karembu said that it is important for countries to keep learning from those who have made inroads before, in essence avoiding foibles so they can collectively speedily chart a course for a healthy planet.
“We need to improve the process of implementation, build a community of practice, learn to collaborate and push towards the same goal,” she said.
The webinar attracted 84 participants from 13 countries. While the majority were from Uganda, attendees also joined from Belgium, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, and The Gambia.
The project ‘Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa’ (COHESA) is co-funded by the OACPS Research and Innovation Programme, a programme implemented by the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific states (OACPS) with the financial support of the European Union
By Peter Theuri