National One Health Strategy Workshop in Eswatini
From 23 to 26 June 2025, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the Eswatini Ministry of Health, and the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) co-organised a national One Health strategy workshop in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
ECDC assisted with the organisation of the One Health strategy workshop as part of the Africa CDC – ECDC Partnership project, which seeks to harmonise surveillance systems and bolster public health capacities across Africa.
The workshop brought together over 50 experts and policymakers from the human health, animal health and environment sectors to jointly develop a national One Health strategy.
The aim of the workshop was to establish a multisectoral coordinated framework to support the creation of the Eswatini CDC: the Kingdom’s public health institute.
Drawing on existing One Health frameworks and country experiences from Zambia and Namibia, participants engaged in facilitator-led group work and drafted key elements for Eswatini’s national One Health strategy.
Opening remarks were delivered on behalf of ECDC by Ole Heuer, Head of Unit for One-Health-Related Diseases, and Carmen Varela Santos, Principal Expert in One Health, gave an outline of the Agency’s work within the area of One Health.
Collaboration in the area of One Health between ECDC and Africa CDC highlights the importance of reciprocal exchange and mutual learning, as both organisations work to advance the One Health mechanism in their respective regions.
