The Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA) project has launched the Global One Health Search Tool (GOHST), a free innovative online catalogue for online training courses. The Tool is a single directory providing access to over 100 e-learning courses in the field of One Health targeting students, professionals, researchers and decision makers.
‘This tool has been developed for all One Health professionals and students in Africa who are looking to expand their skills and competencies in One Health but sometimes lack access and means to know what exists and what they can access with just an internet connection,’ said Elise Le Bihan, head of the PRISME capacity-building platform. The platform is jointly managed by CIRAD – the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development – and VetAgroSup ENSV FVI, the French Lyon veterinary school. CIRAD is the COHESA consortium partner that led the development of GOHST.
Specific areas covered under GOHST include epidemiology of emerging infectious diseases, management of zoonoses, prevention of pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, health surveillance, and mental health in relation to health crises. Others are farm biosecurity, management of transmissible animal diseases, animal welfare, vaccination, and the role of pets in disease transmission. The tool’s catalogue of courses also covers the impact of climate change on health, water and soil pollution, biodiversity and ecosystem management, the role of environmental pathogens, and the influence of endocrine disruptors on ecosystems.
Other thematic areas include governance of integrated health systems, intersectorality and collaboration between disciplines, analysis of public policies, and implementation of sustainable solutions for managing health risks. Emerging and innovative themes covered include artificial intelligence and epidemic modelling, the influence of food production methods on global health, participatory disease surveillance by local communities, links between urbanization and the emergence of new diseases, and interactions between One Health and the social sciences.
Florence Mutua, senior scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and lead of the COHESA work package on education and research, said ‘the GOHST is part of COHESA’s efforts to enhance One Health education and empower the next generation workforce to deliver One Health solutions.’ She added that the courses have been rigorously selected based on their educational quality and relevance across human, animal and environmental health, as well as integrated One Health approach and emerging and innovative themes.
The tool is one of the available online resources that support One Health capacity development in the eastern and southern Africa regions and globally. COHESA has also reviewed selected One Health teaching materials, identifying a need in Africa to develop cross-cutting courses that enable the actors to adopt approaches and skills necessary for handling the continent’s One Health issues.
At the same time, the Workforce Development Operational Tool (WFD OT), which was launched in December 2024 by the Tripartite organizations of the United Nations (The Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health) offers a database of global and regional training resources and tools relevant to One Health and Zoonotic Disease management.
Both the GOHST and the WFD OT database can be used to identify training options and tools to strengthen One Health workforce.
Learn more:
The Global Obe Health Search Tool
Workforce Development Operational Tool
Report on assessment of selected One Health resources for eastern and southern Africa