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The Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) has called for stronger research, innovation and collaboration among different sectors to address emerging health and environmental challenges confronting Africa.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bashir Garba, made the call at the opening of the Centre for Advanced Medical Research and Training (CAMRET) international conference held in Sokoto.
The conference was organised by the university, in conjunction with the One Health Institute (OHI).
Declaring the conference open, the vice-chancellor said Africa needs to brace for such challenges with proactive approaches.
Garba said emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, environmental degradation, food and water insecurity, including biodiversity loss, were interconnected.
“One Health initiative provides an important framework for developing solutions that are scientifically sound, locally relevant, affordable and sustainable,” he said.
He said the university’s responsibility was not only to generate knowledge but also to translate research findings into policies, innovations and interventions capable of improving lives.
“CAMRET has recorded several achievements, such as research into vaccine candidates for Lassa fever and COVID-19.
“The centre established a COVID-19 screening centre during the 2020 pandemic and postgraduate programmes in Cancer Biology,” he said.
The vice-chancellor noted that OHI had introduced a Master of One Health programme, “which is the first dedicated professional master’s programme in Africa.
“Participants should use the conference to develop research partnerships and identify practical solutions to health and environmental problems.
“I urge participants to consider how research could be translated from laboratories and classrooms into communities to influence public policy.”
In a keynote address, a scholar from Gazipur Agricultural University, Bangladesh, Prof. Mustafizur Rahman, called on relevant stakeholders to collaborate in achieving set goals and objectives.
Rahman said developing countries could achieve better results by combining indigenous knowledge with biotechnology and digital tools.
Prof. Musa Kana, a Professor of Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology at Kaduna State University, identified inadequate funding and fragmented governance as major obstacles to implementing One Health initiatives in Africa.
Kana also cited professional rivalry among medical doctors, veterinarians and environmental scientists as a challenge.
“I call for dedicated and sustainable One Health budget lines at federal and state levels, as well as laws that will institutionalise One Health responsibilities,” he said.
The Director of One Health Institute, Prof. Bello Arkilla-Magaji, said the institute, established in June 2024, had graduated its first MSc cohort of 40 students.
“A second cohort of 46 students is in its second semester, while a new cohort is expected to commence in January 2027,” he said.
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