Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis control personnel got an update on AU-PATTEC strategies for the implementation of the PATTEC Initiative, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 17 – 27 October 2012

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 31, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The 3rd AU-PATTEC Training course on Planning and execution of projects led by the AU-PATTEC Coordination Office in collaboration with PATTEC Burkina Faso, was held at the Ecole de Lutte Anti Tsetse (ELAT) in Bobo Dioulasso for 24 French speaking participants including 5 women from 14 Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis affected countries.

The training course brought together staff working in national programmes of T&T affected countries including veterinarians, medical doctors, biologists, planners, etc. to be capacitated in fields that are relevant to the implementation of the PATTEC Initiative such as area wide principles of tsetse and trypanosomiasis management, Human and animal Trypanosomiasis, PATTEC projects' planning, and Geographical Information Systems, among others. Following the theoretical parts of the training course, participants were involved in practical activities and field visits were they learned what is expected from them.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Prof. Vyapi-Gnaore C. Valentine, the Director General of the Centre International de Recherche - Développement sur l'Elevage en zones Sub-humides (CIRDES) stressed to the participants the willingness of her institution to work closely with affected countries to complement AU-PATTEC's efforts and build their capacities.

The participants expressed their appreciation for the training and their aim to make PATTEC a success story, if the required resources are made available. The AU-PATTEC Coordinator, Dr Hassane H. Mahamat in his closing remarks informed the participants that since September 2011, about 70 participants have benefited from the same training course and the number of women participating in the course in growing.