5 minute read
The Steering Committee Chairman pays a Courtesy visit to the Consortium Secretariat
The steering committee chairman, Dr. Misheck Mulumba paid a courtesy visit to the Consortium Secretariat on July, 2022. The purpose of his visit was to discuss progress and achievements of the consortium in the first two quarters of 2022. A key point of discussion was the Annual Performance Plan 2022/23 for the African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium. The plan has been developed in accordance with the mandate of the Consortium Charter and the Strategic Plan 2021-2023 “Strategy for Collaboration Towards Expanding the Development and Use of Genetic Biocontrol Approaches in Africa.”
The Plan sets forth the Consortium’s long-term six outcomes of the 2021/23 Strategic Plan and it details the inputs, activities, and outputs of the set targets. The Consortium pursues these outcomes through annual performance goals that are set out each year and published in the Annual Performance Plan. The Consortium reports on its performance against the annual performance goals in its Annual Report.
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The Steering Committee commits itself in monitoring performance and implementation of the targets set out in this Plan. The assessment and monitoring of the annual performance are done on a Quarterly basis and is approved by the Steering Committee.
Message from the Steering Committee Chairman - Dr. Misheck Mulumba
Dr. Misheck Mulumba, Chairperson – AfOHNet and Chairman of the Steering Committee – African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium gives a brief introduction about the Consortium and the importance of One Health.
The video interview transcript is available below:
Would you please give a brief introduction about yourself and your role in the Consortium?
The main objective for establishment of the African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium is to provide a platform for interaction among African experts and institutions to enhance opportunities for technical capacity strengthening, knowledge exchange and deliberation about the challenges and opportunities of genetic biocontrol technologies for the public good. This we believe will in turn strengthen African influence on their development and provide critical input for decision-making by product developers, policy makers, and other stakeholders
What is the importance of a consortium and how does it benefit organizations in Africa like AfOHNet?
Each of the different members of the consortium cannot and do not have enough reach on the continent, expertise and also they prioritize gene biocontrol to different extents according to their field of expertise. The bringing together of all these members therefore creates synergies among and affords a platform to consortium members to share ideas and experiences on different genetic biocontrol initiatives in their respective fields.
What is one health and its importance?
The (One Health High-Level Expert Panel) OHHLP definition of One Health (OH) is “a collaborative, multi-sectoral, and transdisciplinary approach — working at the local, regional, national, and global levels — with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.” In AfOHNet we strongly believe that the concept of One Health should be addressing real OH challenges facing the community the benefits of which must be clearly tangible to them. We therefore focus on the practical low hanging fruits of OH in African communities.
What is genetic biocontrol and how is it different from other control measures that have been used in the past?
I like Teem’s definition: Genetic biocontrol can be defined as the release of organisms with genetic methods designed to disrupt the reproduction of invasive populations for example the use of Pseudacteon species against red imported fire ants.
Would you please give a brief description of the African One Health Network and the role it plays in implementing one health in the African continent?
Across the African continent, multiple national and regional One Health initiatives and networks have been developed to address the health risks and threats posed by the ever changing interactions between humans, animals and the environment. These networks have mobilized scientists and policy makers to improve disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness and response, and information sharing, but are not well integrated with each other. The ultimate role of AfOHNet is to bring a coordinated response to improve coordination and communication between One Health networks with the mission of strengthening disease detection, diagnoses, and reporting
What was the main motivation for AfOHNet to join the Consortium?
As AfOHNet we recognize the niche in which we operate and the capacities and limitations of our network. Being a member of the Africa Genetic Biocontrol Consortium helps to bring synergies of other actors in the One Health and gene biocontrol space for accelerated implementation of various initiatives. Could you please comment on some of the milestones and achievements made by the African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium since its inception.
First of all:
The mere fact that the consortium has been able to bring together the following members AfOHNet, Africa Biological Safety Association (AfBSA), the Multilateral initiative on Malaria (MIM), Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) and the Pan African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA) is a major achievement in itself. These consortium members have come to appreciate the work done by their counterparts and in so doing have avoided costly duplication of projects while contributing to genetic biocontrol efforts in their different niches.
The Consortium has an informative, interactive and updated website covering matters genetic biocontrol. (www.genbioconsortium.africa)
The Consortium consistently produces weekly and monthly newsletters to keep our audiences informed and updated.
The Consortium has also witnessed a tremendous growth in social media outreach especially through Twitter.You can reach us through the Twitter handle: @AfricaGeneBio.
The consortium had hosted a number of successful and very informative webinars on various topics of interest whose attendance and participation bears witness the interest in the consortium’s activities.
Would you please provide more information on the upcoming Inaugural African One Health Network Workshop in Ghana?
The Inaugural Africa One Health Network (AfOHNet) Workshop 2022 will provide AfOHNet members a Pan-African networking opportunity for multi-disciplinary engagement with a mission of strengthening disease detection, diagnoses, and reporting in African nations collaborating across the continent. The Workshop will include a mixture of keynote panel presentations, dedicated thematic sessions, and lively discussions and debates on the challenges that impact building an integrated, nonduplicative One Health scientific network by sharing best practices and lessons learned from established One Health initiatives across the continent. The 5-day conference will also include a hackathon, breakout workshops, and working group panels to enrich regional collaborations, networking, and encourage and promote a new generation of young One Health leadership across Africa.
In conclusion, what would be your message to anyone who would like be part of AfOHNet, what would be your call to action to them?
ONE HEALTH HIGH-LEVEL EXPERT PANEL is “a collaborative, multi-sectoral, and transdisciplinary approach — working at the local, regional, national, and global levels — with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.”
Issues of One Health have developed from the narrow narrative encompassing zoonotic diseases to include human, animal, plant and planetary health. They now affect all of us on the planet. For us as a continent to contribute to mitigating against the adverse effects of several factors affecting One health we must first understand what One Health is, realize where our contribution can be made while ensure proper coordination among amongst the multiplicity of both local and international One Health initiatives set up in different communities, countries and regions on the continent. AfOHNet offers the opportunity to network with other One Health actors on the continent, streamline line their various interventions to avoid duplication and help coordinate the activities. So if you are interested in playing a part of addressing the challenges of One Health on the continent there can never be a better platform for you to do so than by joining AfOHNet. The workshop will be held in Accra Ghana from 3-7 October 2022.
