By CHARLES IWUOHA

A university don and Vice Chancellor of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, Professor Jesse Uneke, has called for interconnection and interaction of relevant stakeholders in order to actualize One-Health system in Nigeria.

Professor Uneke who also doubles as the founder of African Institute for Health Policy and Health Systems made this known during the 1st National Consultation Meeting of Policymakers, stating that One-Health promotes a sustainable and healthy future.

He emphasised that 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.

The policymakers? engagement event organized in collaboration with Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Germany, which took place at Rockview Hotel Classic, Abuja was attended by selected stakeholders from Federal Ministry of Health, Agriculture, Environment, National Assembly, among others who endorsed the Nigeria One-Health Strategic plan, 2019 ? 2023.

While delivering a lecture on the theme, ?Promoting a systematic and Transparent use of Evidence in One-Health Policy Decision-making in Nigeria,? the Vice Chancellor urged the participants not to see the approach in individual perspective but from a wider dynamic system, saying that the implementation of 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, and clarify conflicting or overlapping mandates.

?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,? the Vice Chancellor explained.

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

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

Speaking on the One-Health implementation barriers, the Vice Chancellor called for interaction and interrelationships between stakeholders from the various systems components; as well as understanding and application of systems thinking approach by the stakeholders, because it helps to anticipate synergies, mitigate negative emergent behaviors, policy resistance, among others.

In an interview with some of the participants after the policymakers? engagement event, Dr Mrs. Okorie Ihekerenma, said she is very excited about the success recorded in the event, saying that she has been championing One-Health over the years and will not relent until its objective is actualized.

Her words: ?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 has succeeded, to see how they succeeded, and buy new things into our own approach.

?One-Health is the only way to solve complex health problems that are emerging even in the future.

?I want to urge our people to embrace One-Health for a better tomorrow.?

A Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Samuel Anzaku, said expressed happiness that the meeting is timely and lot of issues were brought and treated.

He stated that some of the issues raised were handled with common understanding.

?Some of the flaws observed in policymaking process received adequate corrections.

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

On his part, the Director of Research, National Assembly, Alexander Unachukwu, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, saying that it is laudable.

?This is the fourth year we are attending workshops organized by Prof Uneke. It is all encompassing and a valuable event. If everybody works with one mindset, One-Health is achievable. It requires partnership and collaboration with various ministries and agencies of government,? he said.