The Vice Chancellor of David Umahi University of Health Sciences Uburu Ebonyi State, Professor Jesse Uneke, has advocated for synergy among stakeholders in the health sector in order to achieve One Health in Nigeria.

Uneke who doubles as the founder of the African Institute for Health Policy and Health Systems, made the submission while delivering a lecture during the 1st National Consultation meeting of policymakers.

The policymaker’s engagement event was organized in collaboration with Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute Germany.

The lecture with the theme, “Promoting a Systematic and Transparent Use of Evidence in One-Health Policy Decision-making in Nigeria,”

“Only with well-established coordination mechanisms, where each institution knows its role, will a government be able to react with due consideration of all the interests and areas involved,”

He reiterated that One-Health promotes a sustainable and healthy future for the citizens of the country.

“Actualization of One-Health in Nigeria would require collaboration, communication, coordination and capacity building among relevant stakeholders as well as applying the software and hardware approach of complex adaptive systems”

“Achieving One-Health in Nigeria would require collaboration, communication, coordination and capacity building among relevant stakeholders as well as applying the software and hardware approach of complex adaptive systems”

The Vice-Chancellor urged participants not to see the approach from an individual perspective but from a wider dynamic system stating that the implementation of the One-Health concept requires inter-sectoral governance mechanisms at the global, regional, and national levels.

“All relevant institutions must work closely together, each contributing their expertise in order to formulate the most appropriate regulatory responses, minimize gaps, clarify conflicting or overlapping mandates”

The Don further classified pathways of change and high-level action to include policy, advocacy, financing, organizational development, implementation, sectorial integration, data, evidence and knowledge exchange, among others.

Professor Uneke outlined barriers to the implementation of the One-Health Policy including wider socio-political context, climate crisis, conflict, global hunger, powerful donors/stakeholders undue influence over prioritization and resource allocation, poor communication; and inadequate use of legal and regulation frameworks”

In an interview, a participant at the policy makers engagement Dr Mrs. Okorie Ihekerenma, said she was excited about the success recorded in the event.

“I have been championing One-Health over the years, and will not relent until its objective is actualized, it is the only way to solve complex health problems”

“I am very excited about this workshop, it is timely, One-Health is something we have been talking about for a very long time, and will continue to talk about it until we get it right.”

“We have started moving it to State and Local Government levels and also helping them to get operational policy.”

“One-Health is achievable in Nigeria because we are ahead of other African countries that are struggling to put One-health in place, we should also look at those that have succeeded, see how they succeeded, and buy new things into our own approach.”

Contributing, a Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Samuel Anzaku, described the meeting as apt.

“One-Health Policy is achievable in Nigeria once the right Policies are in place as well as engagement of stakeholders for Partnership and Collaboration.”

Corroborating the Director of Research National Assembly Mr Alexander Unachukwu, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting.

“This is the fourth year we are attending workshops organized by Professor Uneke, it is an all-encompassing and valuable event. If everybody works with one mindset, one health is achievable.

The event was attended by selected stakeholders from the Federal Ministry of Health, Agriculture, Environment, National Assembly, among others who endorsed the Nigeria One-Health Strategic Plan, 2019 – 2023.