In a groundbreaking development, the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine has secured a monumental seven-year, $4.99 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant aims to bolster veterinary services capacity-building efforts in East Africa, with a specific focus on enhancing disease control programs and fostering long-term monitoring to support local systems of animal health and food safety.

With over 50% of the African continent’s livestock situated in East Africa, national veterinary authorities and personnel hold the crucial responsibility of regulating and promoting animal and livestock health alongside ensuring food safety. Strengthening the veterinary service workforce presents an opportunity to elevate food systems, public health, and economies within the region. Through collaborative efforts, countries can work towards harmonized regional approaches for livestock health and food hygiene standards, facilitating trade—a strategy advocated by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).

The newly funded project builds upon the foundation's prior investment of $1.5 million, which supported the inception and initial implementation of ProgRESSVet East Africa. This hybrid eLearning program provided essential training to veterinary services personnel on key topics in animal health and food safety. The re-investment aims to deepen learning programs in Kenya and Uganda while expanding programming to other countries in the region.

ProgRESSVet East Africa is an integral part of CAHFS' signature capacity-building program, targeting in-service veterinary professionals, predominantly government veterinarians in public service. Since its launch in Latin America in 2017, ProgRESSVet programs have been successfully implemented in 11 countries, boasting nearly 200 program alumni across South and Central America, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. This initiative aligns with CAHFS' mandate as a designated WOAH Collaborating Centre for Veterinary Services Capacity Building and its mission as a Veterinary Public Health Reference Center for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Key partners in the design and execution of ProgRESSVet East Africa include the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources, and BioSecurity at Makerere University, as well as the respective governmental bodies and veterinary associations in Kenya and Uganda. Both the Kenya Veterinary Board and the Uganda Veterinary Board have approved ProgRESSVet East Africa as an official provider of continuous professional development.

For more information about ProgRESSVet, visit progressvet.umn.edu, or cahfs.umn.edu.