According to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture, the Ethiopian Animal Health Institute (EAHI) finished a training on laboratory quality assurance and capacity building for animal health professionals from Somalia’s Puntland State today.
The Ethiopian Animal Health Institute and the Ministry of Livestock and Animal Husbandry under Water for Agro-pastoral Productivity and Resilience (Biyole Project) in Puntland held an intensive training on laboratory quality assurance and capacity building from April 29 to May 8, 2022.
The course mostly covered ISO 17025 requirements such as general requirements, structural requirements, resource requirements, process requirements, and management system requirements.
Simultaneously, practical training in serological, molecular, and bacteriological tests was provided in accordance with worldwide quality management standards.
Speaking on the closing ceremony of the training, the representative of State Minster of Livestock and Fishery Resource Development Sector of Ministry of Agriculture, D/r Yohanis Girma stated that neighbor countries collaboration is very critical to prevent and control trans boundary animal disease as well as to develop and grow together.
Nowadays, since International livestock trade or market requirement is very critical, we need to wok together closely and harmonize our policy, strategy, method, standard and how to implement laboratory tests, D/r Yohanis said.
D/r Yohanis also encouraged the trainees to put their Ethiopian Animal Health Institute experience into practice when they return home.
Mr. Mohamed Abdulahi, the Minister of Livestock and Animal Husbandry of Somalia’s Puntland State, stated that they will work with the FDRE Ministry of Agriculture, particularly the Livestock Sector and the Ethiopian Animal Health Institute, to strengthen their collaboration in the future on issues such as trans-border animal diseases and livestock trade promotion.
The Minister stated that this program is not the first and will not be the last in Ethiopia, and that partnership, knowledge, and experience sharing would continue between the two nations.
According to D/r Tasfaye Rufael, General Director of Animal Health Institute, the Institute has been working on different capacity building such as serology, molecular and sequencing which is even not found in another lab of around the western part.
It is not only working different activities in Ethiopia but also works as a reference laboratory for eastern African countries and supports African laboratories. At the end of the ceremony, certificates have been handed over to trainees.