One Health Strategic Plan 2019-2023.

This Strategic Plan, jointly developed with Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Environment, Academia, development partners, the private sector and non-governmental organisations, reflects the shared commitment to enhance multi-sectoral collaborations in addressing human-animal ecosystem public health challenges, within the period 2019-2023, in order to achieve better public health outcomes for the human, animal, and environment sectors. Public health threats interfacing human-animal ecosystem and involving food safety and security, antimicrobial resistance and emerging infectious diseases require the adoption of this One Health approach.
The Strategic Plan is subdivided into 7 sections: Section 1 provides an introduction, with a background of the Country and a focus on its human and animal health system and its biodiversity and wildlife resources. Section 2 analyses of the current “One Health” situation, highlighting the burden of zoonotic diseases, both in Africa and in Nigeria; focusing on antimicrobial resistance and environmental health and concerning surveillance activities and International Health Regulations implementation and assessment. Section 3 focuses on the Nigerian coordinating structure for implementing One Health approach. Section 4 defines vision, mission, goals, core values and guiding principles of the One Health Strategic Plan. Section 5 and 6 elaborate the five years Strategic Plan for One Health and the one year implementation Plan according to the goals and objectives. Section 7 deals with the monitoring and evaluation framework for the Strategic Plan.
On these bases, the Strategic Plan defines its mission as the creation of a strategic, dynamic and functional platform that advances human, animal and environmental health through multidisciplinary collaboration. Therefore, the goals of the Strategic Plan are: 1) achieving a sustainable and institutionalised One Health platform at all government levels; 2) promoting a strategic, safe and secure research agenda for implementation of One Health initiative within the Country; 3) increasing the awareness on One Health for all the stakeholders and the involved people and enhancing government commitment for One Health approach; 4) making One Health approach an effective preventive system and a response to public health threats. This Strategic Plan is also inspired by the following principles: 1) prevention and control of public health events including zoonoses; 2) sustainable utilisation of existing institutions; 3) use of a multidisciplinary approach to realise technical, political, and regulatory frameworks to effectively manage public health; 4) recognition and respect for cultural diversity and human rights. The Strategic Plan provides a detailed overview for objectives, strategies and activities relating to each single goal to be achieved within the time frame of the Plan itself and within one year as regards its implementation.