Veterinary & Biosecurity
Uganda Commemorates One Health Day with a call for a Multi-Sectoral Approach to address emerging health threats
By Joseph Odoi
On 3rd November 2022, Uganda joined the rest of the world in celebrating One Health Day. This year marks the seventh annual One Health Day, a global campaign that celebrates and brings attention to the need for a One Health approach to address shared health threats at the human-animal-environment interface.
One Health Day is an initiative that gives One Health advocates and practitioners around the world a powerful voice for moving beyond provincial approaches to emerging zoonotic infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, environmental pollution, food safety, comparative/ translational medicine and many other problems, to a holistic, One Health, way of thinking and acting for the benefit of all living creatures.
While giving a keynote speech at Presidential Hall in Kampala under the theme “Our Planet, Our Health” at the Office of the President in Kampala, Dr. Lawrence Mugisha, an Associate Professor at Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-Security (CoVAB) in a special way welcomed participants to the One-Health day celebrations. He noted that there’s urgent need for all sectors to work together if emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and other public health threats are to be addressed.
“The challenges we face today whether health-related like emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases or public disasters like flooding, drought among others are complex, cross-cutting and cross different borders requiring one health approach which is multidisciplinary that facilitates collaboration, coordination and communication among different professionals/disciplines to address the public health events quickly. This helps to quickly identify appropriate interventions timely and use available resources effectively,”
Citing WHO data, Professor Mugisha noted AMR one of the emerging public health challenges which if left unchecked will contribute to 10 million deaths per year
To address these challenges, Prof.Mugisha recommended the following
- Raising public awareness about AMR and AMU
- Promoting water, hygiene and sanitation
- Enhanced AMR/AMU Surveillance in humans, animals and environment
- Investing in human capital for innovative research in vaccines and alternative therapeutic approaches like herbal use for the replacement of Antibiotic use.
In her presentation titled; Progress of Implementation of the anti-microbial resistance national action plan, Dr. Hellen Byomire Ndagije from National Drug Authority emphasized the importance of raising awareness to combat anti-microbial resistance adding that national drug authority has been holding Meetings to raise awareness of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among health workers in pharmacies, and drug shops both human and animal medicine use
As part of capacity building to address AMR, she supported strengthening the Medicine Therapeutic Committees (MTCs) in regional referral hospitals with logistical support and technical training on rational medicine use and pharmacovigilance. In terms of antibiotics demand, she noted Uganda currently imports over 50,000 kilograms which should call for close vigilance.
To promote optimal access and use of antimicrobials, she recommended regular and risk-based testing of imported antimicrobials and medical equipment to assure their quality. She emphasized the need for good distribution practice standards to guarantee that antimicrobials are restored and dispensed in a way that does not compromise quality or efficacy. She said there was need to promote good manufacturing practices (GMP) inspections for both foreign and local drug manufacturers to ensure compliance to quality standards of manufacture, in addition to enforcing compliance monitoring and support supervision of human and veterinary drug outlets to ensure compliance to drug regulatory requirements.
As a way forward, she made recommendations that included the strengthening of stakeholder engagement, awareness, training and collaboration. The need for improved access to quality, safe and efficacious antimicrobials was emphasized in addition to strengthening pharmacovigilance: reporting ADE (AMR surveillance)
Dr. Ndadije stressed the need to promote rational use of drugs as well as investing in research and innovations
In her presentation, Dr. Lydia Nakiire under the Project titled 7-1-7 timeliness at Infectious Diseases Institute, Global Health Security Program said the Ministry of Health conducted a pilot study, ‘To Save Lives’ through Infectious Diseases Institute to identify bottlenecks causing delays in detection, notification and response.
During the study, she said, it was observed that application of One Health during responses to public health emergencies was one of the major enablers for timely initiation of early response. ‘’Recent outbreaks like Ebola Sudan virus disease and COVID 19 make it necessary to review the lessons learnt from recent public health events, reevaluate approaches and develop frameworks to measure progress towards making the world safe from public health threats.
The 7-1-7 framework proposes timeliness matrix with defined targets; 7 days to suspected outbreak detection, 1 day for public health authorities to be notified and the investigation is initiated within 7days. The 7-1-7 metric can supplement existing capacity measurements of the International Health Regulations (2005), including the Joint External Evaluation and Global Health Security Index’ explained Dr. Nakiire.
In his presentation on behalf of Dr. Immaculate Nabukenya, Senior Project Manager, NAPHS A-Team Uganda Herbert Bakiika shared the progress of Implementation of the Uganda National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) and 2022 Operational Plan.
He noted there is progress in the following as mechanism of addressing AMR, and that the guidelines for mandatory license were drafted, but not approved. He further said that decentralizing One Health in 50 districts by 2024 to strengthen coordination of surveillance and response to zoonotic diseases was underway. Uganda committed to achieving demonstrated capacity in at least 3 technical areas by 2024.
He said the other milestone was licensing of all laboratories across animal, human, food, nuclear and chemical sectors by 2024 to strengthen the national laboratory network. On how this will be achieved, she said government was to liaise with professional councils to license laboratories in line with basic Quality Management Services (QMS)
Dr. Jonathan Mayito from Uganda Fleming Fund highlighted Inadequate human resources in the microbiology laboratories, Irrational and overuse of antibiotics, Lack of AMR data sharing across one health sectors, Lack of structures response to the emerging AMR epidemic as some of the challenges that needed to be addressed.
Moving forward, he recommended streamlining the supply of microbiology supplies by National Medical Stores, Increase human resources allocation through public service commission, data sharing agreement to enable data sharing to inform strategies and above all creating a National Task Force to investigate and respond to AMR alerts/outbreaks.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s Country Director, Bessong Willington emphasized the importance of capacity building to support timely intervention when addressing disease outbreaks. He called upon different sectors to work collaboratively and in a multidisciplinary fashion under the One Health Approach.
In his remarks read by Dr. John Opolot, Dr. Henry Mwebesa congratulated participants for marking the one-health day. He that 61% of all existing human infections in the past decade have been zoonotic including Ebola, HIV, and influenza and that 80 % of pathogens could potentially be used for bio terrorism.
In addition, to effectively strengthen One Health initiatives in Uganda, the Ministry of Health has embarked on roll out of the third edition of the integrated disease surveillance and response in over seven health regions using One Health approaches. The ministry, he said, also piloted integrated (both animal and human) sample transportation from communities using the hub transportation network using One Health Approaches.
On the importance of a multi-sectoral approach towards addressing public health challenges, Dr. Mwebesa emphasized the importance of involving all state and non-state actors including civil society and the private sector in one-health programmes.
In terms of government commitment, Dr. Mwebesa noted that The Ministry of Health will continue to support the One Health initiative, and currently government is funding division of veterinary public health and zoonoses which is supporting decentralization of One Health in over 30 districts to strengthen multi-sectoral emergency preparedness at sub-national level.
On current outbreak of Ebola, Dr. Mwebesa said The ministry of health shall continue to engage the National One Health platform in the current epidemic and urged all stakeholders to observe standard operating procedures to prevent the spread of Ebola virus disease. He equally thanked development, Implementing Partners and private sector partners for the financial and technical support towards the One Health initiatives as long forward to prevention, detection and response to emerging public health emergencies in the country.
Veterinary & Biosecurity
Makerere University and Partners Celebrate INSSPIRE Project Achievements in Evidence-Based Higher Education on Food Systems and Climate Action
By Harriet Musinguzi & Jacinta Nakaye
INSSPIRE, a flagship project housed at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB), has successfully concluded its three-year implementation journey with a final workshop held on Tuesday, 18th November 2025, at the Imperial Royale Hotel. The workshop brought together key stakeholders from leading universities across Europe and Africa to reflect on the project’s achievements, share lessons learned, and explore opportunities for future collaboration.
Over the past three years, the INSSPIRE Project has made significant strides in advancing research, innovation, and capacity-building, particularly in the areas of food systems and climate action. Through its initiatives, the project has contributed to strengthening academic programs and aligning them more closely with societal needs and the evolving job market.
Some of the notable achievements of the INSSPIRE Project include the comprehensive review and enrichment of the curriculum, ensuring that learning is not only academically rigorous but also practically relevant to societal needs and the evolving job market. In addition, the introduction of real-life learning labs has provided students with invaluable hands-on experience, enabling them to engage directly with community challenges and apply their knowledge in practical, impactful ways. The project has also pioneered the use of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), linking students with peers from other countries to foster cross-cultural exchange and collaborative problem-solving. This innovative approach has strengthened the connection between academia and society, equipping graduates to become solution-oriented leaders in addressing pressing global issues such as food systems and climate action.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, was represented at the conference by Prof. Julius Kikoma, Director of Graduate Training. Delivering remarks on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kikoma commended the remarkable achievements realized through the strong partnership of multiple universities under the INSSPIRE initiative. He underscored the conference theme, “Advancing Evidence-Based and Inclusive Education for Food Systems and Climate Action,” as a powerful reflection of the project’s commitment to tackling global challenges through innovation, collaboration, and shared learning.
Prof. Nawangwe noted that the INSSPIRE Project, centered on innovation for sustainability and societal relevance, has successfully brought together universities from the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Kenya, Uganda, Benin, and South Africa. Within this collaborative ecosystem, institutions have reimagined higher education to make it more inclusive, experiential, and responsive to pressing challenges such as food systems transformation and climate change.
Nawangwe noted that this transformation comes at a critical time when Africa faces immense challenges in food security and climate change. Uganda remains highly vulnerable, with floods and other climate shocks severely affecting communities and livelihoods. He emphasized that food systems are under pressure from rapid population growth, unsustainable practices, and environmental degradation, while climate change is already impacting nutrition and resilience. Universities like Makerere must rise to this challenge, he said, and that through initiatives like the INSSPIRE Project, Makerere University joined regional and international partners to generate evidence, influence policy, and drive innovation though solutions generated by students, researchers, and communities.
The Vice Chancellor expressed gratitude to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the project’s lead institution, for fostering collaboration that has strengthened long-term partnerships between Makerere and universities in Europe and Africa. He praised this cooperation as a model of global academic partnership, where learning flows both ways and innovation thrives in diversity. He also thanked Erasmus+, the European Union, RUFORUM, FAO, national agencies, and research institutions for their support. Special recognition was given to CoVAB for providing an enabling environment, and to the dedicated Makerere INSSPIRE team led by Dr. Charles Drago Kato, whose leadership has been central to the project’s success.
Prof. Frank Norbert Mwiine, Principal CoVAB expressed the commitment of the college leadership in moving the INSSPIRE innovations forward, as demonstrated in the innovations in the department of Livestock resources and the continuous development of staff to broaden the teaching of these courses. He said the college would remain part of the network and appreciated INSSPIRE for the capacity-building initiatives for the staff of the college especially in the new pedagogical methodologies like the real-life lab.
Dr. Denyse Snelder from VU Amsterdam gave a broad overview of the project activities they engaged in, including the capacity development on evidence-based and inclusive education, strengthening the university to community collaboration, and inter-university collaborations. She highlighted the key achievements realized, which include sixty lecturers actively engaged, 850 students reached through enriched courses, Five Hundred community stakeholders engaged, establishment of community practice with Eighteen Universities in Africa and Europe under the umbrella, South to South and triangular cooperation.
The INSSPIRE Project aimed to prepare students in higher education for labor market success by equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to drive food systems transformation and adapt to climate change, thereby contributing to sustainable growth.
Veterinary & Biosecurity
Urban Farming & Climate-Smart Practices: Makerere Researchers Explore Innovations at Kyakuwa Farm
A team of scientists under the collaborative research project “Building Capacity for Innovation and Advancement of Climate Smart Agriculture in East and Southern Africa (CICSA-E&SA)” recently visited Kyakuwa Farm, a model site for urban farming innovations. The visit provided valuable insights into practical climate-smart farming technologies that can strengthen resilience and reduce emissions in urban and peri-urban livestock systems.
The Climate-Smart Agriculture project is led by Makerere University in partnership with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norway), Maseno University (Kenya), LUANAR, and DARS (Malawi), with funding from the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku). One of its objectives is to develop a Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Platform to bring together key stakeholders to share experiences, promote proven CSA technologies, and build farmer resilience while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
The visit was led by Principal Investigator Dr. Nampanzira Dorothy Kalule from the Department of Livestock and Industrial Resources at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources, and Biosecurity (CoVAB), Makerere University. She was joined by other scientists, including Prof. Vincent Muwanika, whose combined expertise enriched the engagement at Kyakuwa Farm. Together, the delegation emphasized Makerere University’s dedication to promoting urban farming and climate-smart agriculture through collaborative learning and knowledge exchange.
While at the farm, the scientists witnessed a number of climate-smart innovations that reinforce the sustainability of the Kyakuwa dairy system. These included silage made from excess sweet potato vines, hay produced from Paspalum grass during compound slashing, and hydroponic fodder cultivated as a nutrient-rich supplement. To address the persistent challenge of flies, the farm applies diatomaceous earth, an organic insecticide, both in the environment and mixed with feed. This integrated approach, they learned, enhanced animal nutrition, improved herd health, and maintained environmental hygiene.
Prof. Jolly M. L. Kabirizi, Executive Director of Kyakuwa Farm and animal research scientist at Valley University of Science and Technology, welcomed the Makerere University team. She showcased her sustainable urban farming model, highlighting dairy production supported by innovative feed, waste management, and climate-smart practices that reduce costs, empower youth, and promote community engagement. The farm places dairy production at its core, integrating innovative feed and waste-management practices that embody climate-smart agriculture. These strategies enhance productivity, optimize resource utilization, and minimize environmental impact, making the farm a replicable model for sustainable urban farming.
According to the scientists, Prof. Kabirizi’s standout innovation is her concept of “turning waste into wealth.” Instead of relying mainly on elephant grass like many dairy farmers, she introduced the use of assorted organic market waste as a sustainable feed source. By training vendors in waste recovery, she incorporates bean pods, sweet potato vines, and pineapple residues into her feeding program. These unconventional resources now form a major part of her dairy system, cutting feed costs, improving sustainability, and reducing organic waste in urban markets.
Prof. Kabirizi complements her waste-to-feed innovations with sustainable feeding technologies that reinforce Kyakuwa Farm’s resilience. The farmer produces silage from surplus sweet potato vines, hay from Paspalum grass during compound slashing, and hydroponic fodder as a nutrient-rich supplement. To tackle the challenge of flies, Kabirizi said she applies diatomaceous earth organically in both the environment and feed. This integrated system boosts animal nutrition, strengthens herd health, and maintains environmental hygiene, showcasing climate-smart agriculture in action.
Kyakuwa Farm highlights a climate-smart use of manure by transforming it into a valuable energy resource. Through solar drying, manure is converted into charcoal briquettes that offer households a cleaner, affordable alternative to firewood. This innovation reduces reliance on traditional fuels, eases pressure on forests, and integrates renewable energy into livestock management, showcasing how circular resource use strengthens sustainability and climate resilience in urban farming. In her closing remarks, after successful deliberations with the scientists, Prof. Kabirizi urged the visiting scientists to champion early retirement planning among farmers, drawing on her own rewarding retirement shaped by community training and mentorship. She has empowered households within and beyond Wakiso District through skills in urban dairy management, climate-smart feeding, and value addition.
Veterinary & Biosecurity
Makerere Centre for Biosecurity and Global Health partner with VIQAP Consultancy Services and Stakeholders to Strengthen Biorisk Management Capacity among Laboratory Technologists
From 20th to 22nd October 2025, the Centre for Biosecurity and Global Health (CeBIGH) and the Department of Biosecurity, Ecosystems and Veterinary Public Health (BEP) at COVAB, Makerere University, in collaboration with VIQAP Consultancy Services, the Uganda Medical Laboratory Technologists Association (UMLTA), the Biosafety and Biosecurity Association of Uganda (BBAU), and the Uganda National Health Laboratories and Diagnostic Services, conducted a three-day Biorisk Management (Biosafety and Biosecurity) training which happened in the CeBIGH Conference room.
The training was part of an ongoing campaign to provide Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for laboratory professionals working across various sectors—including human health, animal health, environmental, biocontainment, and research laboratories. Participants included government and private laboratory technologists, graduate students of MSc Global Biosecurity and Infectious Disease Management, Clinical Epidemiology, Biomedical Laboratory Technology, as well as early-career biomedical scientists.
Building Competence in Biorisk Management
The Facilitation of the three-day training was led by Mr. JohnBaptist Galiwango, a certified Biorisk Management Professional by the International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA) and Research Assistant in the Department of Biosecurity, Ecosystems and Veterinary Public Health (BEP), COVAB.
Participants were equipped with both theoretical and practical knowledge in key areas such as:
Biosafety and biosecurity principles and practices, Biorisk Management International standards and frameworks (ISO 35001, ISO 15189, ISO 15190, BWC, UNSCR, Cartagena Protocol), Risk management and the AMP model (Assessment, Mitigation, Performance Evaluation), Laboratory design, operations, and biological waste management, Introduction to Cyberbiosecurity and Dual-Use Research of Concern (DURC) and Introduction to Emerging technologies and responsible life sciences research.
Mr. Galiwango emphasized the need for enhanced collaboration among public and private laboratory stakeholders to strengthen Uganda’s preparedness for potential emerging and re-emerging Biothreats and “Disease X.” He highlighted that a resilient laboratory system, supported by competent and well-trained personnel, is crucial in the era of rapid technological advancement. He also noted that over 200 professionals expressed interest in participating, but only a limited number could be accommodated due to resource constraints—underscoring the urgent need for more such capacity-building programs in the future.
Stakeholders’ Reflections and Commitments
Ms. Viola Nakidde, Managing Director of VIQAP Consultancy Services, expressed her appreciation to Makerere CeBIGH for hosting the training and for its continued commitment to professional development in the laboratory field. She reaffirmed VIQAP’s dedication to partnering with academic and professional institutions to close knowledge gaps among laboratory professionals through other CPD programs such as Internal Auditing, Laboratory Leadership and Management training and ISO Standards Implementation and support for laboratory accreditation processes.
The training was officially opened by Prof. Clovice Kankya, Head of the Department of Biosecurity, Ecosystems and Veterinary Public Health , who commended the organizing team led by Mr. Galiwango and Ms. Nakidde. He encouraged participants to apply the knowledge gained for both personal and institutional growth and to seek further learning opportunities in biosafety and biosecurity.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Joseph Nkodyo, National Coordinator for Biosafety and Biosecurity Programs at the Ministry of Health, pledged continued government support for private sector partners such as VIQAP Consultancy to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity systems across Uganda’s laboratories. He urged participants to apply their new skills in daily operations and to engage in research advancing biosafety and biosecurity in Uganda.
Figure 9: Some of the participants pose for a Photo with Mr Joseph Nkodyo (In the Middle)- The National Coordinator of Biosafety and Biosecurity programs from Ministry of Health.
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony and award of certificate was presided over by COVAB’s Prof. Lawrence Mugisha, who doubles as the Chairperson of the National Biosafety Committee under the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST). He applauded the initiative, noting that CeBIGH was the ideal venue for such technical trainings.
Figure 12: Prof Lawrence Mugisha- the Chairperson of the National Biosafety Committee awarding Certificate to one of the active participants during the closure of the activity.
Prof. Mugisha underscored the importance of biosafety and biosecurity in the era of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). He urged participants to deepen their understanding of Cyberbiosecurity, Dual-Use Research of Concern (DURC), and Gain-of-Function (GoF) Research, emphasizing responsible conduct in life sciences as a cornerstone for global health security.
Participant Feedback
Participants expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity, describing the training as a transformative experience that enhanced their professional competence. Many participants appreciated the practical and interactive approach of the facilitators and called for more frequent and sustained training programs to reach a broader group of professionals across Uganda.
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