@FAOGhana/David Youngs

The ISAVET training is an in-service animal health capacity development programme designed for veterinarians working with domestic and wildlife animals.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has conducted a two-day workshop to gather information from multi-stakeholders for advocacy and dialogue on the Frontline In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) programme and to support the development of a workforce strategy for the Veterinary Services Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

The Frontline In Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) programme is a four-month training programme consisting of four weeks of formal training followed by three months of field project. FAO, through its Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), assists the implementation of this training programme, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In 2019, ISAVET targeted more than 20 Frontline veterinarians from ten countries in West and Central Africa: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Now, the number has increased to 86 trainers and mentors and prospects are to train 250 veterinarians every year to serve as front-line fighters against animal diseases to safeguard lives and livelihoods.

The workshop brought together 35 participants from different sectors of the livestock industry in the country including the a representative of the School of Public Health at the University of Ghana, the Deans of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology and University of Ghana and a representative of Chief Director of the Ministry of Health and a representative of the Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture Head Office. The workshop was aimed at increasing the advocacy to roll-out the ISAVET programme in the country with the collaboration of several interested stakeholders, collecting relevant information on the animal health sector that will aid and facilitate the workforce development strategy of the Veterinary Service Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA).

The Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer of the Veterinary Services Directorate, Dr. Darlington Owusu, addressing participant, noted that the “VSD is passionate about the development of workforce strategy for effective and efficient implementation of the one health policy in Ghana, there is the need to continue to intensify our multi-sectorial and multi-disciplinary collaboration, negotiations and dialogue for mandated functions and activities for the public good”.

On his part the FAO ECTAD Country Team Leader, Ahmed Garba, reiterated the key principles of the ISAVET program is to train frontline staff of VSD on applied field epidemiology, link the training to the needs of the Veterinary Service, provide mentorship, and most of all for the ISAVET program to be owned by the VSD/MOFA. “This will ensure sustainability of the training in the long-term”. He said.

He called for a champion to be identified with linkages to the government to advocate for ISAVET at the highest policy levels, including the Parliament.  

ISAVET proved to be critical in Ghana during COVID-19

In Ghana, ISAVET training proved to be critical in availing skilled One Health workforce to prepare for the detection and response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including zoonotic and transboundary animal 

diseases, but also to intervene in the event of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic we are currently experiencing. ISAVET graduated trainees have been extremely valuable as human resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Ghana, an ISAVET trainee was part of COVID-19 contact tracing team and detected the first case of COVID-19 recorded in Jaman North District. Other ISAVET trainees supported COVID-19 sample collection and testing at the Accra Veterinary Laboratory and facilitated exports and imports of live animals at the Kotoka International Airport.

FAO has embarked on supporting countries to improve the capacity of their veterinary services delivery through the implementation of ISAVET programme targeting frontline veterinary staff. The programme is designed to help frontline veterinary staff to fill in the gaps in the animal health sector to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks in a timely manner and therefore protect human health, reduce animal losses, assure consumer protection, promote safe trade and improve livelihoods.

To ensure ISAVET sustainable implementation, FAO involves government ministries in decisions, ensures the programme is in partnership with the academic institution, and advocates for ownership at country and regional levels.