A regional meeting with the ERFAN Secretariat, in collaboration with the World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH) sub-regional representation for southern Africa took place at the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, South Africa, from the 7th to the 9th of November 2023. The event also had an online audience, who were hosted on the Zoom platform.

The objective of the meeting was for the member countries to present the achievements of the network from 2019, to discuss the actions of ongoing programmes and projects, to see where ERFAN can still contribute and to discuss one health approach, where applicable, in the context of ERFAN’s goals. Furthermore, to discuss the second PHASE of ERFAN project”- towards 2026 and to enhance scientific cooperation between Europe and Africa.

There were about 39 delegates in attendance, with more participants joining online. The delegates were from Italy, South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania. The Deputy Head of the Mission of the Italian Embassy in Pretoria; Directors of National Veterinary Laboratories of Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania; Representatives of Faculties of Veterinary Science from Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique; Representatives of WOAH Headquarters and the sub-Regional Office in Gaborone; Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sub-regional Coordinator and Representative; Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in South Africa; and the WB sub-regional Coordinator and Representative were present.

The meeting was structured in three thematic sessions. In the first session participants presented the results of ERFAN’s activities since its inception in 2019. The second session was about the creation of synergies between ongoing programmes and projects in public health and food security in southern Africa. During the third session, the participants from Italy and Africa discussed future project proposals. Opportunities were also given to directors of partner institutions to discuss integrated plans towards finding potential solutions to challenges of zoonotic diseases, food safety and animal welfare.

One of the highlights of the meeting was the mention of the Ivan Horak – Online tick identification course. The ERFAN secretariat, in collaboration with UP staff involved in the planning and organization of the course, expressed their intention to support this initiative and the expansion of the course both regionally (within southern Africa) and to colleagues in North Africa.