One Health Stakeholders in Namibia applauded recent activities that have promoted the visibility and adoption of the One Health approach, but they acknowledged that more work needs to be done to operationalize the implementation of the recently adopted One Health Strategy at the national, regional, and local levels across the country. Most recently One Health was on the agenda for Namibia at the 2nd Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) Triennial Conference held in Windhoek, Namibia from 12-16th August 2024 under the theme; Operationalising Higher Agricultural Education and Research Ecosystems for Innovation, Industrialisation and Economic Development in Africa: A Call for Action.
A side event organized by the Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA) University of Namibia (UNAM) project team, provided a platform for One Health stakeholders to share, learn and build collaborations aimed at promoting the adoption and operationalization of the approach in Namibia. The One Health approach seeks to provide solutions to global health threats by sustainably balancing and optimizing the health of people, animals. The One Health landscape in Namibia is promising, and actors are geared towards multisectoral stakeholder collaboration and partnerships.
COHESA UNAM Team at the RUFORM Conference, Windhoek Namibia. From left Rachel Freeman (COHESA UNAM), Brighton Gorejena (COHESA UNAM), Theo Knights-Jones (COHESA- ILRI) and John Becker (COHESA University Pretoria, South Africa) (photo credit: UNAM Cares/ Rachel Freeman)
At the side event, Government ministry One Health focal persons presented some of the activities implemented by their respective ministries and institutions towards the goal of operationalizing One Health through their recently adopted National Tripartite One Health Strategy.
The Tripartite One Health National Strategy (2024-2028) was launched on the 19th of June 2024, formally bringing together stakeholders to build upon work from the National Action Plan for Health Security and the Joint External Evaluation to foster improved One Health measures for Namibians. The COHESA team led by the University of Namibia (UNAM) provided technical and financial support that helped the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), the Ministry of Agriculture Water and Land Reform (MAWLR), and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) to achieve this milestone. The Ministries of Health and Social Services, Agriculture, Water and Land Reform and Environment Tourism and Forestry, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on One Health tripartite collaboration and coordination to ensure the effective implementation of the interventions outlined in the Tripartite One Health National Strategy.
Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, Member of Parliament and Minister of Health and Social Services said,
“Multisectoral collaboration is critical for the successful implementation of this strategy, involving the different institutions and organisation”. “This is what we mean when we talk about the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to policymaking and policy implementation”, he added.
More information about the launch is available here.
Given the progress within One Health in Namibia, it was important to build the capacity of journalists to effectively report on One Health issues. A media café was conducted on 8th August 2024 for One Health researchers and stakeholders in Namibia to interact and engage with journalists to promote further collaboration. During the café, researchers underscored the meaning and importance of One Health, and the role that the media can play in promoting awareness creation and adoption. Media are key stakeholders during disease outbreaks as they create awareness, promote disease prevention and control through risk communication.
Journalists and COHESA-UNAM team at the One Health Media Café (photo credit: UNAM Cares/ Rachel Freeman)
Beyond national level One Health, the UNAM Cares One Health Community Engagement initiative serves as the UNAM’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) civic mission through community engagement work. The initiative’s primary goal is to enhance the health of local communities under the One Health umbrella by integrating human-animal-plant and environmental health and well-being. The main objective of the One Health initiative with UNAM Cares is to gain insight into how to improve the health of marginalized communities, their livestock, wildlife, and the environment.
UNAM Cares Research Team with members of the SAN community in the Tsumkwe constituency in Otjozonjupa region in Namibia (photo credit: UNAM Cares/ Rachel Freeman)
At a recent roundtable validation workshop to present findings of Community-Based Participatory Research on the One Health needs of Indigenous minorities (SAN) in the Tsumkwe constituency in the Otjozondjupa region, opportunities for collaboration between COHESA, UNAM Cares and local government tripartite representatives were identified. The interventions will aim at improving the health outcomes across the One Health spectrum of Indigenous communities and help to translate the national One Health strategy to local outcomes in the community. The research was conducted by the UNAM Cares One Health Community Engagement project.
Plans are also underway to implement culturally sensitive One Health approaches continuous professional development (CPD) training for healthcare professionals in Namibia with support from COHESA.
More information about the UNAM- Cares Community engagement initiative is available here
As part of the efforts to create awareness and sensitize the public on One Health, COHESA-UNAM’s Rachel Freeman and COHESA Principle Investigator, Theo Knight- Jones were hosted on the Good Morning Namibia, Television show by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) on the 16th August 2024. The show covered key aspects of One Health such as what it entails, why it matters and the importance of collaboration among the stakeholder groups.
Rachel Freeman (COHESA UNAM) and Theo Knight-Jones (ILRI) on Good Morning Namibia TV Show (photo credit: UNAM Cares/ Rachel Freeman)
The project ‘Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa’ (COHESA) is co-funded by the OACPS Research and Innovation Programme, a programme implemented by the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific states (OACPS) with the financial support of the European Union. The UNAM Cares One Health Community Engagement project is co-funded by Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), supported by the Global Health Protection Programme of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health “Enhancing One Health Institutionalization”.
