Addis Ababa, 26th November 2018 –The 17th PATTEC coordinators/ focal persons meeting takes place from 26th to 28th November 2018 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa. In the three-day meeting national programmes coordinators, stakeholders and partners will discuss on ways to eradicate Tsetse and trypanosomiasis in sub-Saharan regions.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Gift Wanda Ag. PATTEC Coordinator briefed the meeting on what has been achieved towards the attainment of the objectives of the initiative. “Bearing in mind that the implementation of PATTEC is a collective effort of national governments, state and non-state actors, international partners, resource partners, communities and all other stakeholders, the answer lies with each one of us to narrate our contributions to the initiative. While this meeting is not designed to provide all the answers, it certainly will provide some of the answers to this question” concluded Dr. Wanda.
The objective of PATTEC coordinators meeting is to identify the challenges in the implementation of the PATTEC initiative and identify existing opportunities. Specifically, the meeting will focus on: Reviewing the status of national and regional Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis (T&T) implementation; Reviewing the level of public investment in T&T programmes; Reviewing the challenges faced in the implementation of the PATTEC initiative; Identifying sustainable funding mechanisms for the management of T&T programmes and Establishing mechanisms for enhancing coordination and networking between Countries for regional collaboration.
Dr. Dagnachew Beyene Director General of National Institute of Control and Eradication of Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis (NICETT) in the Federal Republic of Ethiopia emphasized that the meeting was organized because tsetse and trypanosomosis still represent one of the most complex problems affecting rural development in Sub Saharan Africa.
During the meeting national coordinators will present their strategies and the status they have during the 18 years of implementation of the programme. Some of them such as Botswana and Namibia will share their stories on how they manage to eradicate T&T and how they maintain their level. Also, partners will express their selves on the support they provide to States for the support of their strategies.
The expected outputs of this meeting are identification of:
• Strategies to address the key challenges hampering progress of the PATTEC initiative;
• Mechanisms and strategies for enhancing resource mobilization drive; key issues to inform the development of a PATTEC roadmap for the next ten years;
• Documentation of progress and compilation of T&T activities at national, regional and continental levels.
Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa, Director of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture representing the Commissioner reminded that we are in the period of the First Ten Years Implementation phase of Agenda 2063 which is a development framework for all sectors of the African Economy for the next fifty years. Consistent with this, T&T interventions must be designed in a manner that they contribute to this overarching Agenda. He added “this meeting will be meaningless if it does not come up with implementable “SMART” recommendations”.
For further information :
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission |E-mail : dinfo@africa-union.org
Web Site: www.au.int |Addis-Ababa | Ethiopia
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