We are pleased to announce that the first Cooperation Agreements under ERFAN 2 project have been signed with seven African partner institutions.

These agreements mark an important step in the implementation of the project and in the consolidation of the collaboration established through the first phase of the ERFAN initiative.

The first Cooperation Agreements have been signed with:

• Animal Health Institute (AHI), Ethiopia

• Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM), Mozambique

• Direcção Nacional de Sanidade e Biossegurança, Ministério da Agricultura, Ambiente e Pescas (MAAP), Republic of Mozambique

• Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory (BNVL), National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI), Republic of Botswana

• National Research Center for Tropical and Transboundary Diseases (NRCTTD), Libya

• National Office for Research and Development of Livestock and Pastoralism, Mauritania

• Central Veterinary Research Institute, Zambia

The Cooperation Agreements provide a general framework for collaboration within ERFAN 2. They formalise the commitment of the Parties to work together through the sharing of resources, information, data, materials, expertise and project results, as well as through participation in the preparation of reports and scientific publications arising from the project.

The agreements also provide a basis for strengthening communication and knowledge exchange among ERFAN members and for supporting the implementation of the activities planned under the different Working Groups.

The signing of these first agreements represents an important milestone for ERFAN 2, reinforcing the commitment of African and European partner institutions to collaborative approaches in the fields of animal health, veterinary research and capacity development.

Further Cooperation Agreements with ERFAN 2 partner institutions will be signed in the coming months, further strengthening the network and its collaborative framework across Africa.