The African Union has launched the African Union One Health Data Alliance Africa Project to optimize the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems by recognizing their interconnectedness and interdependence.
The project was launched at a workshop by the African Union – Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) held between the 14th and 15th of August at Naivasha.
The One Health approach seeks to unify human health, animal health, and the environment and aims to balance the well-being of various living organisms and ecosystems. It will highlight the need for collaborative efforts to ensure clean water, energy, air, safe food, and sustainable development.
According to Dr Christopher Wanga, the representative for the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock Development in Kenya, the One Health Data Project’s outputs will be a game-changer.
“It will break down data barriers for effective disease management across sectors; let’s collaborate across sectors and unite against data silos,” Dr Wanga said.
There has been a rising incidence of diseases such as cholera and zoonotic diseases. However, due to the data on these diseases remaining fragmented across sectors and lacking collaboration, advancements in digital intelligence and data science have slowed down. The lack of integration and harmonization of data platforms has resulted in poor governance and management as a result of information loss.
The project aims to develop a policy and architecture to guide the exchange and utilization, establish a groundwork for digitized governance and management, and create competency profiles and qualification materials for those handling the information.
According to Dr Godfrey Bahiigwa, the African Union Representative, this project is crucial for Africa’s health governance. “This framework is crucial in reshaping policies, overcoming data harmonization challenges, and enabling evidence-based decision-making processes,” he said.
Partnering with the AU and other stakeholders, the project is expected to promote seamless information exchange. The project’s ultimate goal is to promote information integration, digital intelligence, and effective One Health governance and management.
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