Botswana: This morning, 21 February 2023, the Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health, Dr Monique Eloit, together with her delegation, paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Dr Mokgweetsi E.K Masisi at the Office of the President in Gaborone (Botswana).
This comes at a time when Botswana is hosting the 25th Conference of the Regional Commission for Africa that will be held from the 21st to the 24th of February 2023 in Gaborone.
When welcoming the delegation, His Excellency Dr Mokgweetsi E.K Masisi assured the delegation of his full support and offered them the use of the country’s facilities, including its laboratories, for any research based initiatives. Dr Masisi also said Botswana has the relevant human capital to support animal health, saying the country is investing in quality education to produce the best expertise.
He cited programmes such as Top Achievers Awards, which accords top performing students an opportunity to train abroad in courses that might be of interest to the World Organisation for Animal Health.
The President also said the country has ventured, as a result of our response to Covid-19, to finding synergies for both animal and human health and the production of vaccines and therapeutics.
Further, he revealed that Botswana has signed up for the African Continental Free Trade Area, which yields the biggest trading block in the world, as well as deposited the instruments for ratification. This, he said, will give Botswana a competitive advantage in her drive to produce vaccines and invest in the vast African market.
His Excellency is expected to officially open the 25th Conference of the Regional Commission for Africa later today. For her part, the Director General, Dr Monique Eloit, said her Organisation recognizes the strides made by Botswana in developing human capital and the visible advancement in animal health production.
