On the 29th and 30th of May, ISAAA AfriCenter – through Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA) project – took the lead to train eighteen (18) partners in Eastern Africa on conducting net mapping of One Health stakeholders in a 2-day workshop in Kigali, Rwanda.
As part of a wider strategy to build the capacity of government and related agencies on One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa, ISAAA AfriCenter, with support from International Livestock Research Institute and CIRAD led a successful training of net mapping to Eastern African COHESA partners. The training was informed by the need to identify, analyze and unlock the barriers to holistic implementation of One Health solutions.
In attendance were eighteen (18) partners from long-standing public Universities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda who also act as multipliers within their countries to help COHESA address the local gaps in One Health governance and synergize with the present One Health initiatives. Key government ministries responsible for human/animal health and the environment were also represented during the workshop.
The represented countries also took time to share experiences, challenges and milestones in One Health governance and practice within their countries. It was agreed that sustainable One Health requires regional as well as local collaborations between key stakeholders that either need to be brought on board or capacitated to enhance their present effort for a synergized front to embed One Health practice in society, and with policy support for funding and accountability. From the training, the partners agreed to plan for net mapping to further analyze internal barriers to successful One Health implementation.
Article by Dr.Christian Odinga, ISAAA AfriCenter