AFENET Courtesy Call to WHO Tanzania
-
by
AFENET
The African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) paid a courtesy call to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the United Republic of Tanzania. The AFENET delegation comprised Dr Herbert Kazoora, FETP Technical Lead at the AFENET Secretariat in Kampala, Uganda; Dr Ally Hussein, AFENET Resident Advisor for the Tanzania Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP); and Mr Patrick Kamugumya, Program Support Manager, AFENET Tanzania.
The team met with Dr Alex Gasasira, WHO Representative (WR) in the United Republic of Tanzania, who was accompanied by Ms Maria Kelly, Laboratory Scientist at the WHO Country Office.
The visit provided an opportunity for AFENET to brief Dr Gasasira on the progress of the project, “Strengthening Collaborative and Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response for Enhanced Epidemic and Pandemic Prevention, Detection, and Response in Tanzania.” The project is supported by the World Bank Pandemic Fund initiative, with WHO Tanzania as the recipient and AFENET as the technical delivery partner for the field epidemiology component.
Over the next two years, AFENET will work in close collaboration with WHO, the Ministry of Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), and other key stakeholders to strengthen national epidemiological capacity. The initiative will support the training of 15 Advanced FETP residents, 40 Intermediate FETP residents, and 240 Frontline participants across the country.
Beyond the ongoing project, discussions also explored opportunities to further expand AFENET–WHO Tanzania collaboration into additional technical areas, including strengthening public health laboratory systems, immunization systems, prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as emergency preparedness and response.
This engagement underscores AFENET’s continued commitment to strengthening public health systems and workforce capacity in Tanzania through strategic partnerships and evidence-based interventions.
