Participants in a group photograph.
By Nweze Anaga,
Abakaliki
The Vice Chancellor of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Prof. Jesse Uneke, has called for interconnection and interaction of relevant stakeholders to actualize One-Health in Nigeria.
The vice chancellor, who also doubles, as the founder of African Institute for Health Policy and Health Systems, made the appeal during the 1st National Consultation meeting of policymakers in Abuja.
He said that One-Health promotes a sustainable and healthy future.
He emphasized that actualization of One-Health in Nigeria would require collaboration, communication, coordination and capacity building among relevant stakeholders as well as applying the software and hardware approach of complex adaptive systems.
The policymakers’ engagement event organized in collaboration with Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Germany, took place at Rockview Hotel Classic, Abuja, recently.
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It was attended by stakeholders from Federal Ministry of Health, Agriculture, Environment, National Assembly, among others who endorsed the Nigeria One-Health Strategic plan, 2019 – 2023.
While delivering a lecture on the theme, “Promoting a systematic and Transparent use of Evidence in One-Health Policy Decision-making in Nigeria,” the Vice Chancellor urged the participants not to see the approach in individual perspective but from a wider dynamic system, saying that the implementation of One-Health concept requires intersectoral governance mechanisms at the global, regional, and national levels.
“All relevant institutions must work closely together, each contributing their expertise in order to formulate the most appropriate regulatory responses, minimize gaps, and clarify conflicting or overlapping mandates.
“Only with well-established coordination mechanisms, where each institution knows its role, will a government be able to react with due consideration of all the interests and areas involved,” the Vice Chancellor explained.
He further classified pathways of change and high-level action to include; policy, advocacy, financing, organizational development, implementation, sectorial integration, data, evidence, knowledge exchange, among others.
Prof. Uneke outlined barriers to the implementation of One-Health Policy which include: wider socio-political context (including climate crisis, conflict, global hunger, etc); powerful donors/stakeholders undue influence over prioritization and resource allocation; poor communication; and inadequate use of legal and regulation frameworks.
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