Skip navigation

Building the future One Health workforce in Eastern and Southern Africa: gaps and opportunities

Building the future One Health workforce in Eastern and Southern Africa: gaps and opportunities

Wako, Buke Yussuf ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2502-9291, Richards, Shauna ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6000-0422, Grace, Delia ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0195-9489, Mutie, Ianetta, Caron, Alex ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5213-3273, De Nys, Helene ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2942-4531, Goregena, Brighton ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2405-1833, Kgosimore, Moatlhodi ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6248-9583, Kimaro, Esther ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5072-7185, Qekwana, Nenene ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4609-5151, Tadesse, Yordanos ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4541-7654, Knight-Jones, Theo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4342-6055 and Mutua, Florence ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1007-5511 (2025) Building the future One Health workforce in Eastern and Southern Africa: gaps and opportunities. CABI One Health, 4 (1):0014. ISSN 2791-223X (Online) (doi:10.1079/cabionehealth.2025.0014)

[thumbnail of Open Access Article]
Preview
PDF (Open Access Article)
50763 GRACE_Building_The_Future_One_Health_Workforce_In_Eastern_And_Southern_Africa_(OA)_2025.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

The Quadripartite comprised of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the One Health High Level Expert Panel collectively support enhancing the One Health (OH) capacities of the workforce addressing OH issues; however, competencies for this workforce are not generally agreed upon, applied uniformly, or always relevant in the global South. The objectives of this study were to (1) develop an inventory of OH education offered by higher education institutes in Eastern and Southern Africa, and (2) define OH competencies relevant for OH training in Eastern and Southern Africa. A survey in 11 Eastern and Southern African countries was conducted with OH key informants purposively selected from higher education institutes offering OH education (n = 1–3/higher education institutes). Snowball sampling was used to identify additional higher education institutes/individuals. Results were validated by OH country representatives. Data were collected using questionnaires, and descriptive statistics were used to present the results. Forty-two questionnaires were completed from 29 higher education institutes, and 166 OH education interventions were reported with 69% being courses contributing to a degree, 21% as degree/diploma awarding, and the remainder were missing data (n = 16). Masters were the most common OH degree program of which the highest number of students taught were from public health/OH, food safety, and applied epidemiology. There are many OH educational courses and activities on offer in Eastern and Southern Africa; however, their total breadth is difficult to assess due to limited awareness of the availability of OH education not only between higher education institutes in a country but also even within a higher education institute between faculties. Numerous cross-cutting and technical competencies were considered essential to work in OH; however, this level of expertise is rarely logistically possible to provide in any single degree program. For OH education to be consistently applied, competency frameworks that are relevant to a region are necessary. Technical competencies are important from a disciplinary context; however, necessary cross-cutting competencies should be a focus in developing the future OH workforce.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: One Health, education, Africa
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Engineering & Science
Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute
Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Food Systems Research
Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Food Systems Research > Food Safety and Quality
Last Modified: 02 Jul 2025 09:55
URI: https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/50763

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics