Called Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA), the four year project is supported by the European Union – funded Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Research and Innovation Programme: African, Caribbean, and Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) initiative, co-funded through ILRI and CIRAD.

To be implemented in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda) and Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe) , the project, which started in December 2021, aims to generate an inclusive research and innovation ecosystem that facilitates uptake, adaptation and adoption of solutions to issues that can be addressed by a One Health approach, Project leads are Dr Theo Knight-Jones, Principal Scientist, ILRI, Dr Alexandre Caron (CIRAD) and Dr Margaret Karembu (ISAAA). Other CIRAD scientists participating in the project are Dr Helene De Nys  and Dr Vladimir Grosbois based in Zimbabwe, Dr. Alexandre Hobeika based in Mozambique and other CIRAD colleagues from Reunion Island and Montpellier, France.

Why COHESA?

COHESA will work in the 11 countries of Eastern and Southern Africa to advance the One Health concept embedded across society working for healthy humans, animals and environments.

Human, animal and environmental health are intrinsically linked. The project promotes the adoption of a One Health approach which strengthens systems nationally, regionally and globally – by recognizing the shared health of humans, animals and the environment – to prevent, detect and respond to disease threats.

The world is facing unprecedented, inter-connected threats to the health of people, animals, and the environment. Addressing these threats requires cross-sectoral, systems-wide approaches. This is encapsulated in the One Health concept, which recognises the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. COVID-19 and its origins as a zoonotic pathogen is a particularly pertinent example. But One Health concerns many of the other major threats of today, such as climate change and disease emergence, anti-microbial resistance, ecosystem destruction with loss of biodiversity and the fragility of food and feed systems. In a globalised world, It is imperative that all nations and societies better manage One Health. This project looks at building One Health capacity in Eastern and Southern Africa.

ILRI, primarily in East Africa; CIRAD, primarily in Southern Africa; and ISAAA Afri Center will work with in-country multiplier organisations (mostly One Health research and implementation organisations) to deliver the project to beneficiaries, mainly government, education, research and service providers engaged in One Health.

Objectives

• Increase the relevance of One Health research and policies in Eastern and Southern Africa
• Enhance national and sub-regional cross sectoral collaboration between government entities with One Health mandates and One Health stakeholders across society
• Equip educational and research institutes to train the next generation of One Health workforce
• Increase the capacity of government and non-governmental stakeholders to identify and deliver One Health solutions to key problems.

Outputs

• Government entities with One Health mandates and One Health stakeholders across society capacitated in cross-sectoral collaboration around One Health
• Government entities capacitated in the development of evidence-based One Health strategies and policies
• National secondary, tertiary, and vocational education institutes strengthened in building One Health capacity for the next generation workforce
• Research institutes capacitated in training next generation One Health researchers
• Research institutes capacitated in identification, development, adaption, and delivery of One Health solutions
• One Health related public-private partnerships strengthened in delivery of One Health solutions and consultation on One Health issues
• Contribution to emerging understanding on One Health, its appropriate use and added value 
• Knowledge and Information on One Health research and policies in Eastern and Southern Africa promoted through project platforms.

For more information, contact:  alexandre.caron@cirad.fr