Botswana has made strides in creating awareness and implementing One Health as a holistic approach to addressing human, animal and environmental health challenges. With no official One Health Platform, Botswana does not have a policy or strategy that provides for adoption of the One Health approach. Consequently, activities related to One Health are conducted on an Ad hoc basis, through intersectoral and multisectoral structures. Implementation of the Libreville Declaration (LD), which recognizes the interconnectedness between human and environmental health, has provided some repose to addressing health challenges in Botswana. Unfortunately, the LD emphasizes the impact of the environment on human health and is silent on animal health.
Promoting awareness of One Health as a holistic approach, required that the Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA) project partners with One Health stakeholders, particularly the Botswana Public Health Institute (BPHI) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) which are the secretariat and focal institution for One Health issues in the country, respectively.
Engagement between BPHI, MoH and COHESA, resulted in a jointly hosted workshop to validate the One Health baseline study conducted by COHESA and to conduct a situational analysis and needs’ assessment (SANA) of the Libreville declaration. A joint plan of action (JPA) will be developed from the workshop proceedings. The JPA development process has necessitated engagement, collaboration and partnerships between various One Health stakeholders at various levels. One Health line ministries participated in the Biennial COHESA Conference that was held in Pretoria, South Africa in November 2023 and the Environment and Ecosystem Conference held in Hwange, Zimbabwe in February 2024.
Following these events, a stakeholder net mapping workshop was organized by COHESA, and the country coordinating committee (CCC) of the LD. Synergies and gaps in One Health governance, education and training, and implementation that existed in the LD were identified and the legal instruments of the LD noted. Quite notably, the CCC that coordinates issues of human and environment health interaction are more appreciative of the OH as a holistic approach.
More significantly, there is increased engagement among OH stakeholders (line ministries, academia, private sector, parastatals, NGOs) and COHESA on issues of One Health. For instance, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) the COHESA project country multiplier participated and presented a paper on One Health during the Botswana Sustainability Week celebrations. The presentation generated interest for more collaboration from the private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Also, COHESA was invited to the National Action Plan for Health Security workshop.
The initiation of a new research program at the BUAN Centre of Bioeconomy on One Health through the influence of COHESA is most momentous. Similarly, the strengthening of the partnership between the three Botswana public universities, (BUAN, University of Botswana (UB) and Botswana International University for Science and Technology (BIUST)), which culminated in the joint development of a short continuous professional development course that will be offered at the BUAN Centre for In- service and Continuing Education (CICE) is pivotal.
During a COHESA workshop on building the capacities of higher educational institutions to educate, train and empower the next generation workforce to tackle One Health issues held in Gaborone on November 22-24 2022 BUAN Vice Chancellor Professor Ketlhatlogile Mosepele said,
'Because of its special nature, as a university whose mandate encompasses both Agriculture and Natural Resources, I urge government to facilitate the development of a Center of Excellence on One Health in Botswana at BUAN’.
Dr Malebogo Kebabonye, Senior Consultant and then focal person for OH, Ministry of Health during an online COHESA meeting said,
'Although there is no One Health platform in Botswana, there are enablers in terms of policies, for example, in agriculture- the Agriculture and food security policy, National policy for rural development; health: - Botswana Public Health Act; National health policy, Food safety policy; Environment: - Waste management policy, Wildlife conservation and national parks Act, Climate change policy.
The strengthened collaborations and partnerships between One Health stakeholders in Botswana are testimony to the power of effective advocacy. The COHESA multiplier has succeeded in changing the siloed perceptions and understanding of handling health issues to now a One Health approach, evidenced by the acceptance of stakeholders from all relevant sectors, as partners.
The advocacy exercise paved way for collaboration and buy- in of the possibilities of success through One Health. More lobbying, particularly with oversight bodies, would have perhaps accelerated buy-in for capacity building. In retrospect, earlier engagement with the media could have gone a long way in raising awareness on One Health. Championing One Health integration and implementation into curricular and legal instruments is the way to go for continuous appreciation.
Further reading:
https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/onehealthcases.2024.0016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mnfPykNJ54
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