The Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), has called for stronger investment in research, innovation and cross-sector collaboration to tackle Africa’s interconnected health, environmental and agricultural challenges.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bashiru Garba, made the call on Thursday while declaring open the CAMRET–OHI Joint International Conference at the New Auditorium of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto.
The conference, organised by the university’s Centre for Advanced Medical Research and Training (CAMRET) in collaboration with its One Health Institute (OHI), focused on harnessing research, innovation and partnerships for One Health solutions to emerging health and environmental challenges in Africa.
Garba said Africa could no longer afford to address emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, environmental degradation, food and water insecurity, and biodiversity loss as isolated problems.
He stressed that research findings must be translated into policies, technologies and practical interventions that are affordable, locally relevant and capable of improving lives.
The Vice Chancellor cited UDUS research initiatives, including work on Lassa fever and COVID-19 vaccine candidates, the establishment of a COVID-19 screening centre during the 2020 pandemic and postgraduate training in Cancer Biology.
He also disclosed that the university’s One Health Institute had launched a Master of One Health programme and established the African Journal of One Health to promote research and scholarly exchange.
Also speaking, Prof. Musa Kana of Kaduna State University identified inadequate funding, fragmented governance and professional rivalry among health and environmental professionals as barriers to effective One Health implementation.
He called for dedicated One Health budget lines, legislation to institutionalise responsibilities across sectors and shared digital platforms for real-time surveillance of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
The Director of OHI, Prof. Bello Arkilla Magaji, and Director of CAMRET, Dr Ibrahim Malami, said the university was expanding capacity-building programmes, noting that the institute had graduated its first Master of Science cohort of 40 students, while a second cohort of 46 was undergoing training.
They also announced plans for a Nigeria One Health Universities Network to strengthen collaboration among universities and expand the UDUS model nationwide.
