KEY NOTE ADDRESS Bringing all Stakeholders together after 15 years of the implementation of the PATTEC Initiative

H.E Madam Rhoda Peace Tumusiime,
Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture
African Union Commission

Today, we are gathered here for the Joint 33rd General Conference of the International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC), and the 14th PATTEC Coordinators meeting being held in the city of N’Djamena, the Capital of Chad.. At the onset, allow me to welcome all of you to this important Conference and take this early opportunity to express my appreciation to the Government and the people of Chad for having accepted to host this conference. This kind gesture by the Government and people of Chad is highly appreciated. . I also take this opportunity to thank the ISCTRC Executive Council, my two technical offices; the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources and the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign Coordination Office, the Scientific and the National Organising Committee for working tirelessly to make this event possible. I thank the participants who left their busy schedules to attend this conference, and on behalf of the African Union Commission please accept our appreciation.
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Excellencies, Distinguished guests ISCTRC has its origin in the formation of the Commission for Technical Cooperation in Africa South of the Sahara (CCTA) that was established in 1949 on the realization that overcoming the menace of trypanosomiasis in humans and animals required international cooperation and implementation across national, regional and continental barriers. For the past 66 years ISCTRC, whose secretariat is based at AU-IBAR made important contributions in the fight against African trypanosomiasis and tsetse. As you may recall ISCTRC lobbied, during its 25th meeting held in Mombasa, in 1999 for the recognition of the negative impacts of the Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis as well as the challenges they had on sustainable rural agriculture development and public health, which may hinder the attainment of some millennium development goals in affected countries.. This led eventually to the establishment of the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC).Initiative through a decision of African Heads of States and Government, in Lome Togo in 2000 and PATTEC was officially launched during the 26th ISCTRC Conference in 2001 in Burkina Faso.

PATTEC, as you all know, is a continent wide programme aimed at joint campaigns and collaborative country-wide activities to eradicate tsetse and trypanosomiasis in the 38 states of Sub-Saharan Africa infested with the tsetse fly vector. Under the framework of PATTEC national projects aimed at creation of sustainable tsetse and trypanosomiasis free areas are being implemented. It is also important to note that PATTEC initiative has now a fully-fledged coordination technical Office in the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, AU-PATTEC.

This conference is unique in a number of ways, but most notably because it coincides with the 15th Anniversary of the birth of the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) Initiative. In this conference I have no doubt there are delegates who were there at the 25th meeting of the ISCTRC that was held in Mombasa, Kenya in 1999 where a recommendation was made to establish PATTEC. I thank you for your commitments to address one of the key challenges to socioeconomic development in Africa.

It is my pleasure to note that we are holding the 33rd ISCTRC Conference and the 14th PATTEC Coordinators meeting jointly and at the same time Cerebrating 15 years of the PATTEC Initiative.
The theme of this year’s Conference ‘Bringing all Stakeholders together after 15 years of the implementation of the PATTEC Initiative’ is very befitting as it reflects the strategy that ISCTRC, the AUC technical Offices, -IBAR and PATTEC with various stakeholders will adopt going forward- that is working together- in research and control of both human and animal African trypanosomiasis..

The creation of PATTEC, 15 years ago signalled an important milestone towards the elimination and eventual eradication of trypanosomiasis from Africa. Since the creation of the PATTEC initiative a lot of efforts and gains have been made in the control of trypanosomiasis. However, there is need to accelerate the speed towards the eventual elimination and eradication of the disease given the big burden it poses to rural agriculture and development and the serious challenge it poses to public health. Fifteen years after inception of the initiative we need to reflect on the lessons learned and identify key issues and lessons that will inform our strategies and operations in Tsetse & Trypanosomiasis research and control for the next 10 years.

The timing of the conference is also ripe for it gives us an opportunity to align our strategies and operations in Tsetse & Trypanosomiasis research and control to the realisation of the goals and objectives of not only the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods but most importantly to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 which constitutes the overarching development framework for Africa..

Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis continue to be a big challenge in rural areas of Africa. The loss due to Animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) is substantial and it is estimated at US$ 5 billion a year. Human sleeping sickness continues to be a public health challenge in many areas of rural Africa. Although the number of reported cases per year has being declined but lot still needs to be done.

Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen

As you recall, early efforts to contain T&T led to huge reduction of the disease but unfortunately the reduced burden of the disease led to reduced interest among public sector authorities and the continent’s partners in investing in the control of the disease. This led to the re-emergence of the disease and in the 80’s and early 90’s, the disease had re-gained its hold in areas where the disease had been controlled leading to heavy losses in livestock and impacting negatively on the public health. I therefore implore on all the stakeholders not to relent because of the successes in the control and eradication of T&T we are currently experiencing but to double the efforts until the goal of eliminating the last case of trypanosomiasis and the last fly is achieved.

Excellencies
DIstiguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen allow me therefore to highlight a few more issues we need to observe for effective and sustainable tsetse and trypanosomiasis research and control. Past experiences show that T&T control activities are effective when integrated with other rural development activities. I urge you therefore to consider the integration of Tsetse &Trypanosomiasis control activities in the rural development policy objectives and strategies of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) using the CAADP framework as an entry point. The integration of T&T intervention programmes in rural development strategies is fully justified in recognition of the fact that even in situations where trypanosomiasis is most severe, it is but one constraint on rural growth as well as development and that its eradication is but one instrument to unleash that potential. An effective T&T eradication policy thus must influence the decision making process in a manner that furthers or enhances regional development objectives. T&T eradication policy must be concerned with all rural development issues including human migration and settlement patterns, productivity of livestock and crop production systems and mechanisms to address these issues via T&T eradication.

Excellencies
DIstiguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen, equally worthy noting is the fact that T&T touches on several sectors, namely: agriculture, wildlife, rural development, tourism, animal health and public health. Therefore there is a need for the various actors that transverse national, regional, continental and global level to form strategic alliances for T&T Research and Control. I observe with appreciation the growing interest and enhanced collaboration between institutions in all areas of Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Research and Control as evidenced by the number of networks and consortia that have evolved over time. Further, the multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral approach to T&T research and control presents as a good example of the feasibility of operationalizing the One Health approach.

Excellencies
DIstiguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen, availability of quality data continues to be a challenge in evidence based decision making in T&T control. There is therefore a need for investment in quality data collection and analysis to inform sound policy. Geographical Information System (GIS) based data collection, collation, storage, analysis and dissemination offers substantial value addition to decision making. In addition, other novel technologies to control trypanosomiasis need to be generated through operational research. Such novel technologies could be based on biological control or on genetic manipulation of the tsetse fly. Research should also be undertaken to elucidate the effect of climate change on tsetse distribution and the impact onT&T control.

Excellencies
DIstiguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen
The eminent scientists, young researchers, representative of international organisation and NGO’s , private companies among others, you as the technical experts in this field of T&T have the onerous task of ensuring the success of the control and ultimately elimination/eradication of T&T from our continent. Once, T&T free areas are created, this will facilitate accelerated rural development in the affected countries.

Excellencies
DIstiguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Let me bring to your attention the following: One eminent scientist recently published a paper that was quoted in the Economist, which attributed the actual development level of T&T affected countries to the presence of the Tsetse and came up with a Tsetse Suitability Index (TSI) to prove this since colonial time to date. All countries colonised in various continents, with exception of those in tsetse infested areas of Africa are still lagging behind and continues to face agricultural development challenges and didn’t realized agricultural surplus historically. Current economic performance of T&T continue to be affected by tsetse through channel of precolonial political centralization as the affected region still remain untapped. Africa posses 60% of the Arable surface area yet to be utilised, but as long as Tsetse is present in the continent, we African will not be able to unleash the potential our agricultural sector has in the near future.
With the positive results achieved so far by all of you present here and in your respective countries, we are moving toward the creation of more T&T free aea and elimination of the disease in many parts of the continent, hence I am comvince that the days of T&T are numbered and with the enthusiasm I see in you our main objective will be achieved.

Excellencies
DIstiguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is my expectation that this joint conference will deliberate and propose appropriate solutions to many of the unanswered questions in this regard. I also urge Partners and African Union Member states to continue with the current effort towards addressing the Capacity gaps that exist for the control and elimination of tsetse and trypanosomiasis. I also encourage research institution and Universities to continue with their research to develop new therapeutic and diagnostic tools for the disease

I thank you for your attention and wish you every success in your deliberation.