The Collaborating Centre is structured in such a way that it addresses the main objectives on an integrated basis specifically to facilitate the development of capacity and coordinated implementation on a regional basis. The emphasis of the activities focuses in an integrated way on the needs of the livestock agricultural sector (commercial and subsistence), the wildlife sector (conservation and commercial game ranching) and their impact on the livelihoods and health of humans. As a result of the needs of the various sectors the Centre will also focus on the dynamics between these sectors and land-use options.
Given the scope and complexity of the activities required and the expertise involved to address the various issues, the activities of the Centre will be phased in over a period of time to also give the opportunity to expand the related activities, and increase the number of institutions involved on a regional basis.
Given the lack of skills and knowledge pertaining to these issues in the sub-Saharan Region, the first phase of the development of the Centre will focus on training at various levels (veterinarians, para-veterinarians, and related scientific disciplines) within a number of Member States of SADC. The training that will be provided by the collaborating Centre will follow an integrated approach linking animal and human health, animal production, marketing and trade of animals and their products, land-use options, rural development, conservation and environmental health relevant particularly to SADC. The main areas of training will include the following:
- Specific information on individual TADs
- Field and laboratory diagnostics and sampling techniques
- Epidemiology and risk assessment
- Surveillance: including the use of GIS
- Communication: including use of mobile devices / cell phones
- Animal health management including community-based animal health and emergency preparedness
- Environmental health including the effects of climate change on animal and human health and animal production
- Ecology and biodiversity
- Animal (domestic and wild animals) production systems and management
- Marketing and trade of animals and their products
- Rural development
- Animal welfare.