Empowering Veterinarians to Combat Animal Diseases: FAO's Frontline ISAVET Training Workshop
Setting the Stage for Capacity Strengthening in Animal Disease Prevention and Control
In a groundbreaking effort to enhance the skills and capabilities of veterinary professionals, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD) of Texas A&M University, has been conducting the Frontline In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) programme. This program, launched in 2018, targets 14 countries in West, Central, and East Africa to address endemic, emerging infectious, and transboundary animal diseases (EIDs and TADs).
In a remarkable step, from 15 November to 10 December 2021, FAO's Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) collaborated with the Veterinary Service Directorate (VSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in Ghana to conduct the Frontline In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) 1st Cohort Rollout. 18 field veterinary staff were selected from various metro, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) nationwide for this comprehensive training.
Overcoming Logistical Hurdles for Mentorship Success
In a groundbreaking move, from 15 November to 10 December 2021, FAO's Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) partnered with Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture to launch the ISAVET 1st Cohort. A total of 18 field veterinarians received comprehensive training, including classroom instruction in Koforidua (15 to 30 November 2021) and practical sessions in Sogakope and Adidome (1 to 10 December 2021). They learned critical skills and embarked on field projects with guidance from mentors. However, logistical challenges hampered mentor visits. To address this, FAO organized a three-day workshop from 26 to 28 April 2022, preparing trainees for final presentations on 12 to 13 April 2023.
This year, from 9 to 13 October 2023, in Koforidua, Ghana, FAO will conduct the Training of Trainers and Mentors (ToT and ToM) workshop. The workshop, consisting of five days of formal training followed by home-based monitoring and evaluation, aims to prepare future trainers and mentors, both academic and institutional, to support the national-level Frontline ISAVET program. Participants who complete the training successfully will receive certificates and be included in a roster of national-level Frontline ISAVET trainers and mentors.
Participants for the ToT were drawn from the Veterinary Services, and the Universities (School of Veterinary Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Ghana) while those for the ToM were mostly from government establishments which includes the Veterinary Service Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission, and the Ministry of Health.
Key objectives of the workshop include familiarizing future trainers and mentors with the coordination mechanisms, core dimensions of the Trainer-Trainee, Mentor-Trainee, and Trainer-Mentor relationships, Frontline ISAVET core competencies, skills, and field products, technical requirements, program monitoring and evaluation tools, as well as outlining responsibilities and expectations for trainers and mentors.
This initiative underscores FAO's commitment to building a network of competent Frontline ISAVET trainers, trainees, and mentors, ultimately contributing to the effective response to animal diseases at the national and sub-national levels.