From ERFAN 1 to ERFAN 2
The ERFAN journey
Representatives of veterinary institutions from ten African countries (Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe) met at IZSAM in Teramo, Italy to review years of scientific cooperation and identify future research priorities. Supported by the Italian Ministry of Health, they agreed to establish the Enhancing Research for Africa Network (ERFAN) with the aim of promoting scientific research in animal health and welfare, food safety and sustainable livestock production across Africa.
The first regional meeting for Southern Africa was held in Pretoria, South Africa. Together with the regional representations of major international organisations such as WOAH , The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the European Union, the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, representatives of veterinary institutions of 8 Southern African countries defined, in cooperation with IZSAM, ERFAN’s governance, operational structure and four-year strategic action plan.
The first regional meeting for North Africa took place in Tunis, bringing together veterinary institutions from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. They endorsed the governance model developed in Pretoria and established thematic Working Groups addressing scientific priorities relevant to the North African region.
Four Italian Istituti Zooprofilattici, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Della Puglia E Della Basilicata, Istituto zooprofilattico sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise (IZSM, IZSPLV, IZSPB and IZSSI) officially joined ERFAN, broadening the Network’s scientific expertise and research capacity.
During the second regional meeting for South Africa in Pretoria, WOAH announced financial support for the Network, confirming its commitment to strengthening scientific cooperation and veterinary capacity building across Africa.
Following the official launch of ERFAN, the first meeting of Working Groups for Southern Africa was held in Windhoek, Namibia, bringing together experts from 13 African institutions and 5 Italian Istituti Zooprofilattici Sperimentali (II.ZZ.SS.). Six thematic Working Groups developed regional action plans, focusing on food hygiene, animal welfare and priority animal diseases, in line with ERFAN’s strategic pillars.
The first meeting of Working Groups for North Africa was held in Tunis, gathering representatives from veterinary institutions and universities from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and Italy. The meeting strengthened scientific cooperation between African and Italian institutions through technical exchange, networking and the development of common regional priorities.
During its first activity cycle concluded in April 2024, ERFAN grew into a network of 38 veterinary institutions from 20 countries, delivering extensive networking activities, e-learning and residential training, collaborative research projects, MSc and PhD fellowships, and regional proficiency testing. These activities strengthened laboratory capacities, promoted harmonised diagnostic approaches and established long-term scientific partnerships between African and Italian veterinary institutions.
Building on the achievements of the first activity cycle, ERFAN 2 further expands the Network, welcomes the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER) as a new Italian partner and continues supporting veterinary services across Africa through sustainable collaboration, innovation and the One Health approach.
