Veterinary & Biosecurity
PREPARE4VBD Project Holds Final Workshop in Uganda; A Landmark in Vector-Borne Disease Preparedness
By Joseph Odoi
The final dissemination workshop of the EU-funded project: A Cross-Disciplinary Alliance to Identify, PREdict, and PrePARe for Emerging Vector-Borne Diseases (PREPARE4VBDs) was successfully held from May 5th to 8th, 2025 at Best Western Premier Garden Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda, marking the culmination of a five-year, cross-continental research effort addressing vector-borne diseases in the era of climate change and globalization.
The hybrid event attracted over 80 participants, including researchers, policymakers, health practitioners, veterinarians, early-career scientists, and students from Africa and Europe. The workshop featured two key sessions with; one at Best Western Premier Garden Hotel, Entebbe, and another at the Centre for Biosecurity, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB), Makerere University.
In his opening remarks, Professor Lawrence Mugisha (Uganda’s Co-Principal Investigator from CoVAB, Makerere University), officially welcomed all stakeholders and highlighted that the purpose of the workshop was to share research findings and engage stakeholders as the project wraps up. The project commenced in September 2021 and will end in August 2025.
Prof. Mugisha noted that the overall aim of PREPARE4VBD is to strengthen preparedness in Africa and Europe for emerging zoonotic vector-borne diseases, especially in an era of climate change and increasing global interconnectedness by (a) Creating a broad, and conceptual knowledge about vector-borne disease emergence and responses to climate change that reaches beyond specific diseases, vector species, borders or scientific disciplines (b)Improving prediction and preparedness in Africa and Europe for zoonotic vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks and freshwater snails to livestock and humans under climate change and globalization.
In a project overview, the PREPARE4VBD Principal Investigator, Professor Anna-Sofie Stensgaard from the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, noted that vector-borne diseases are on the move, accounting for 17% of all infectious diseases and causing 700,000 deaths across the globe each year. She emphasized that zoonotics can’t be isolated as a human or animal health issue.
“The problem is growing and they are on the move,” she said, pointing to increased outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever, Dengue, West Nile, Chikungunya, Fasciolosis, and Schistosomiasis.
Because of this, she noted that the project thought of the need for cross-cutting and in-depth knowledge to improve surveillance and build capacity for early detection, as vector-borne diseases respect no borders. This, she explained, justified the formation of a multidisciplinary team consisting of 10 complementary partner institutions in Europe and Africa.
In terms of approach, she noted that the project used a proactive approach that focuses on addressing VBDs at a lower level, rather than the usual reactive approach that tackles diseases after they present themselves in large numbers.
More specifically, Professor Anna-Sofie noted that PREPARE4VBD focused on four thematic areas aimed at
A) Building knowledge through baseline data collection of neglected tick-, mosquito-, and snail-borne VBDs of importance for animal and human health in endemic African countries.
B) Assessing their capacity to adapt and spread to new areas using a holo-genomics approach and state-of-the-art climate change impact modelling.
C) Developing novel, sensitive diagnostic tools and model-based surveillance for rapid VBD discovery and early warning.
D) Strengthening the capacity for detection and surveillance of the targeted VBDs through training, effective communication, and dissemination of freely available data.
As part of project activities, Professor Anna-Sofie shared that the project conducted
- Training of 4 MSc students and 11 PhD fellows, as well as early-career researcher summer schools in Uganda and Kenya.
- Engaging fellows in the poster sessions and technical workshops, such as molecular diagnostics and VBD modeling.
- Promotion of transdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange among partners across Africa and Europe.
In terms of key project achievements, she noted the project was able to achieve the following
- The development of a new AI-assisted Mini-FLOTAC microscope model.
- Creation of a model for Rift Valley Fever transmission and analysis of climate change impacts on snail-borne diseases.
- Discovery of an Ixodes tick species in Kenya, which was previously only known in Europe.
- Large-scale vector-snail warming experiments conducted across different climates, from South Africa to Denmark.
- Creation of a Global Vector Database (GVD) for centralized vector data collection.
- Development of non-invasive diagnostic tools, including PCR tools for pathogen detection in livestock blood/tick fluids, environmental DNA methods for liver fluke detection, and establishment of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and training videos, all publicly accessible online.
Research Highlights in Uganda
In terms of consortium research highlights from the VBD project in Uganda, Adriko Moses from the Ministry of Health shared a multi-stakeholder approach to mitigate risks of liver fluke infections, a zoonotic disease affecting humans and animals.
Six districts near lake basins were studied: Hoima, Buliisa, Apac, Lira, Jinja, and Mayuge. The study involved 300 human samples, with 2 positive cases identified. Findings also highlighted damaged livers in slaughtered animals.
To address this trend in Uganda, the following policy recommendations were made from the study
Policy Recommendations for Control and Prevention of Liver Fluke Disease in Uganda
- Strengthen meat inspection policy in Uganda, including livestock testing before slaughter and enhanced meat testing protocols.
- Promote vegetable hygiene to control zoonotic fascioliasis—a parasitic infection transmitted through contaminated food.
- Scale up veterinary interventions in livestock through collaboration between farmers and veterinary services.
- Establish surveillance systems to monitor infections among livestock.
- Increase community engagement to improve health education and foster community-led health initiatives.
Remarks from Government and Academia
Dr. Peter Wanyama, representing the Commissioner for Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), commended the consortium for selecting Uganda and recognized the threat of VBDs to both animal and human health, as well as national development. He noted the challenge of tick resistance, and that MAAIF is constructing 69 diagnostic laboratories to address emerging vector-borne threats. He emphasized the need for local knowledge, effective communication, and knowledge translation.
Dr. Allan Muruta, Guest of Honour and Commissioner for Animal Health Services at the Ministry of Health, welcomed the multidisciplinary team to Uganda on behalf of the Minister of State for Primary Health Care.
He thanked the consortium for a well-done multidisciplinary effort addressing the growing challenge of vector-borne diseases in Africa. As a technical officer in surveillance, Dr. Muruta appreciated the project’s clear planning and timely execution.
“Africa is endemic to zoonotic diseases but allow me to share what the Ministry of Health has done. Our Integrated Surveillance Department has set up coordinated responses to several public health issues,” he shared.
He welcomed the findings and policy briefs developed through the research, noting they are relevant, science-based, and practical. He said the Ministry of Health has clear structures for handling policy issues and committed to engaging further to ensure policy uptake and action.
“All the policy briefs are feasible, new, and based on up-to-date science. The Ministry will follow through to see these policies implemented.”
He further noted that Uganda already has a functional One Health platform bringing together directors from health, water, and wildlife sectors. However, he emphasized the need to strengthen data sharing across the sub-national level. The Ministry, he said, is engaging with different sectors to make this happen.
Dr. Muruta reaffirmed the Ministry of Health’s openness to more collaboration in tackling zoonotic diseases and strengthening the One Health approach.
Prof. Frank Mwine, Principal of CoVAB, Makerere University, welcomed participants and applauded collaborative efforts in addressing vector-borne diseases.
In his remarks at Makerere University, Prof. Frank Mwine welcomed the diverse participants and thanked Prof. Lawrence Mugisha for his proven coordination and mobilization around One Health. He acknowledged the growing threats posed by climate change and emphasized the interconnectedness of ecosystems citing how birds migrate from Europe to Africa—as a reason for cross-border collaboration.
He commended the PREPARE4VBD project team for their unique research and innovations aimed at addressing vector-borne diseases and appreciated the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme for supporting such a critical initiative.
Looking ahead, Prof. Mwine stressed the importance of training the next generation to strengthen preparedness and response efforts in the future.
In a cross-country experience-sharing session involving Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda, and South Africa, coordinated by Prof. Moses J. Chimbari (South Africa), participants agreed on the urgent need to integrate One Health into university curricula and bring together diverse disciplines to address vector-borne diseases caused by climate change and other complex factors.
In this engagement, there were a number of panel discussions revolving around translating policy recommendations into practical actions for long-term impact. Prof Lawrence Mugisha at this engagement announced that another dissemination on VBDs project outcomes will be held specifically for Students who were doing exams at the time of the Project dissemination
Workshop Highlights
Key research outcomes were presented, including the development of a Global Vector Database (GVD), AI-assisted diagnostic tools, and predictive climate-disease models.
The Entebbe session hosted high-level stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, NGOs, and international research bodies. Discussions emphasized the importance of translating research into policy and action.
For outreach and dissemination, thirteen policy briefs were shared, alongside posters, infopacks, risk maps, peer-reviewed publications, newsletters, and fellow-driven blog posts all aimed at sustaining knowledge exchange beyond the project lifespan.
Notable to mention was the development of a knowledge co-production model under the project, titled “Knowledge Co-Construction in Stakeholder Engagement Workshops in Health Research” by Kathrin Heitz Tokpa, Lawrence Mugisha, Moses Chimbari, and Bassirou Bonfoh.
The project has notably enhanced Africa Europe scientific cooperation and empowered local institutions with tools and training to detect, track, and control emerging diseases.
About the Project
PREPARE4VBD is a multi-disciplinary consortium that brings together 10 university and ministerial partners from 5 African and 3 European countries, united to address a future with increasingly changing global patterns of zoonotic vector-borne diseases through a holistic, pro-active approach that reaches beyond specific diseases, vector species, borders or scientific disciplines.
Project partners included; Makerere University, Sokoine University of Agriculture, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Naples Federico II, Swiss TPH, University of Bern, ICIPE, Uganda’s Vector Control Division, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, and Tanzania’s NIMR.
The project is part of Horizon 2020’s research and innovation actions (Grant agreement No. 101000365: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101000365) and is coordinated by the University of Copenhagen’s GLOBE Institute and Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.
To read more about the project, visit the PREPARE4VBD website (www.prepare4vbd.eu), which offers key resources on vector-borne disease preparedness, including open-access tools, training materials, and research outputs to support continuous capacity building.
Veterinary & Biosecurity
Makerere University Equips Livestock Finalist students for a Changing Job Market
At a time when youth unemployment continues to challenge economies across Africa, Makerere University is taking deliberate steps to prepare graduates for success beyond the classroom. The College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) recently hosted a Careers Day for finalists in the Bachelor of Industrial Livestock and Business (BILB) and Bachelor of Animal Production Technology and Management (BAPT) programs.
Held under the theme “Bridging Academic Training and Industry Practice: Preparing Livestock Graduates for Professional Excellence and Sector Transformation,” the event brought together academic leaders, government officials, industry practitioners, and human resource experts to share insights on navigating the transition from university to the world of work.
Inspiring Messages of Integrity and Resilience
Dr. Dorothy Kalule Nampanzira, Head of the Department of Livestock and Industrial Resources, urged students to embrace integrity, resilience, and self-discovery as they step into professional life. “You are now adults, and wherever you go, you carry the name of Makerere University,” she reminded them.
Connecting Students to Opportunities
Dr. Sylvia Baluka introduced the Agricultural Sector Apprenticeship Programme, which provides paid placements to fresh graduates, offering hands-on experience and confidence-building opportunities. She emphasized the need for awareness and proactive applications to maximize access.
Rethinking Education and Work
Professor Anthony Mugisha challenged students to reflect on the difference between schooling and true education, urging them to become problem-solvers and entrepreneurs rather than job seekers.
Government and Industry Perspectives
Speakers from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development highlighted Uganda’s untapped opportunities in agriculture and livestock, encouraging graduates to approach challenges as openings for innovation. Practical sessions on CV writing and interview preparation reinforced the importance of readiness and professionalism.
Student Reflections
Final-year students described the Careers Day as transformative, noting that it bridged the gap between academic learning and real-world expectations while boosting confidence in their career paths.
Veterinary & Biosecurity
From Classroom to Cattle Farms: Makerere Unleashes 100+ Job Creators in Bold Skills Revolution
By Moses Lutaaya
Kampala, March 31, 2026 — A powerful shift from theory to practical skills took center stage as over 100 graduates were unveiled as job creators during the 6th certificate award ceremony of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB) at Makerere University.
The graduates, trained under the Africa Institute for Strategic Animal Resources Services and Development (AFRISA) through the Skills, Production, Enterprise Development and Accreditation (SPEDA) programme, were urged to lead Uganda’s transformation through enterprise, innovation and hands-on expertise in the livestock sector.
The ceremony drew strong messages from government and university leaders, all rallying behind one central theme: skills—not just degrees—are the future of Uganda’s economy.
Representing the Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, the Chief Guest, Dr. Anna Rose Ademun Okurut delivered a compelling address on behalf of Bright Rwamirama, praising AFRISA for closing the gap between farmers and technical expertise.
She conveyed the Minister’s appreciation for the programme and apologized for his absence, emphasizing that the initiative remains a priority for government.
Dr. Okurut did not mince words about the challenges facing Uganda’s agricultural sector. While the country continues to produce veterinary doctors, she noted that many prefer office-based jobs, leaving farmers without critical on-ground support.
“There is a big gap between the veterinary doctor and the farmer,” she said, stressing that diploma and certificate graduates are the backbone needed to deliver real services in communities.
She expressed concern over the low number of skilled graduates in animal production, admitting that her “eyes are not satisfied” with the output. She called on parents and institutions to embrace skills-based education, especially in animal husbandry and health, where interest has declined.
Drawing a stark comparison, she highlighted how many Ugandan youth working in the Middle East remain trapped in low-paying domestic jobs due to lack of skills, while their counterparts from neighboring countries secure better opportunities because of technical training.
“Not everyone must get a degree or PhD,” she emphasized. “Practical skills can equally transform lives.”
Dr. Okurut also pointed to critical inefficiencies in the livestock sector, including poor leather handling—where up to 80 percent of hides are lost—and improper milking practices that lead to diseases like mastitis. She called for expanded specialized training to address such gaps.
Encouraging the graduates, she described their journey as a strong foundation for success.
“You are winners,” she said. “Starting from a certificate is not a weakness—it is strength.”
Speaking on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, the Director Graduate of Training Prof. Julius Kikooma described AFRISA as a game-changing model that is transforming higher education.
He conveyed the university leadership’s excitement about the sixth graduation ceremony, calling it a milestone in Makerere’s mission to drive innovation and community impact.
Prof. Kikooma explained that AFRISA was established in 2010 to address a long-standing problem—graduates leaving university with theoretical knowledge but lacking practical skills to change communities.
“AFRISA is not just an institute—it is a dynamic engine for transformation,” he said.
He highlighted its achievements over the years, including training thousands of youth and women, supporting livestock enterprises, and producing graduates who are now entrepreneurs, employers and community leaders.
He emphasized that AFRISA aligns directly with national priorities such as job creation, agricultural productivity and economic growth.
Addressing the graduates, he delivered a clear challenge, “You are not job seekers—you are job creators. You are solution providers.”
He urged them to take their knowledge beyond cities and into rural communities where it is most needed, encouraging them to start small enterprises but think big.
Looking ahead, Prof. Kikooma outlined AFRISA’s ambitious vision—expanding practical programmes, integrating digital learning, and strengthening community outreach to position the institute as a continental leader in animal industry transformation.
The Principal of COVAB, Prof. Frank Mwiine, painted a vivid picture of AFRISA’s journey, describing the graduation as both historic and transformational.
He traced AFRISA’s origins back to 2010 under the vision of Professor John David Kabasa, who sought to address youth unemployment and the disconnect between education and practical skills.
“AFRISA was created to redefine education as a tool for wealth creation and community transformation,” he said.
Over the past 16 years, the institute has evolved into a nationally and regionally recognized centre of excellence, operating as a semi-autonomous unit within COVAB.
Prof. Mwiine highlighted AFRISA’s unique model, which integrates teaching, research and community outreach while emphasizing competence-based, hands-on training.
He pointed to flagship initiatives such as the Nakasajja incubation centre in Wakiso District, where students gain real-world experience by producing, innovating and building enterprises.
The impact, he noted, has been significant, thousands of youth trained, hundreds of enterprises created, and strong partnerships built with government, NGOs and international organizations.
Addressing the graduates directly, he reminded them that they are stepping into the world as innovators and entrepreneurs.
“You have not just studied animal resources, you have turned them into business opportunities,” he said.
He challenged them to take their skills to villages, towns and cities, and use them to transform communities.
“Start small, but think big,” he urged. “Every poultry house, every piggery, every dairy unit can grow into a major enterprise.”
In a passionate closing address, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi called on graduates to act immediately and apply their skills.
He reminded them that the ceremony marked not just an academic achievement but the beginning of a new chapter of responsibility and impact.
“You have been equipped with hands-on skills. This is your time—go and use them,” he said.
Prof. Buyinza emphasized that graduates had received training across critical sectors including dairy, poultry, feed production, laboratory science and livestock product development.
He urged them to pursue opportunities, embrace challenges and build meaningful careers.
“The biggest betrayal you can do to Makerere is to go back home and wait for employment,” he warned.
Instead, he encouraged them to create jobs, contribute to national development goals such as Uganda Vision 2040, and become part of the university’s legacy of transformation.
Graduates received a wide range of qualifications, including Ordinary Diplomas in Dairy Industry and Business, Feed Industry and Business, Poultry Industry and Business, and Laboratory Science Education and Industry, as well as Diplomas in Livestock Products Development.
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