The FAO Representative in The Gambia, Dr Babagana Ahmadu, said the incursion of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H1N1 in Africa in early 2006 has attracted the attention of the international community on the weaknesses of the African continent's veterinary services and thus laid the foundation for the launching of the Network of Western and Central African Veterinary diagnostic laboratories for avian influenza named Resolab.

Dr. Ahmadu made this remark at the opening ceremony of the joint FAO, USDA/APHIS and ministry of agriculture workshop held at the Kairaba Beach Hotel on the 30 of August, 2010.

The FAO Rep said this network has been formally launched at Bamaka on December 2007 by a joint imitative of FAO and the United States Department of Agriculture, Animals and Plants Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) in collaboration with other partners at the Regional Animal Health Centre of Bamako (OIE3, AU-IBAR4).

He said the Resolab aims to contribute to the capacity building of national laboratories for veterinary diagnoses and to promote synergy between the local expertise in breaking the isolation of laboratories' national teams.

"Thus, since its launching, the Resolab implemented many activities aimed at strengthening the laboratories technical capacity and improving communication between them and with international centres of excellence", said the FAO Rep.

Dr Ahmadu said the network's annual coordination meeting which is always supported by USDA/APHIS is the place where all the 23 laboratory executive managers of Western and Central Africa discuss the progress and constraints of their respective institutions and of the network at large.

He recalled that during the Resolab second annual coordination meeting in Bamako in December 2008, it was noticed that only 10% and 40% of our laboratories had respectively a quality manual and an internal quality control department.

"In addition to this, up to 78% had not yet developed standard operating Procedures (SOPs) for each diagnostic test used. Based on this information, the annual coordination meeting instructed the network coordination meeting instructed the network coordination to assist national laboratories in establishing or strengthening their respective quality assurance system," the FAO Rep said.

For her part, Cindy Gregg, Charges d'Affaires AT THE us Embassy, expressed her delight for the support being given by the joint USDA/APHIS and FAO-ECTAD to the workshop on West and Central African Quality Assurance in Veterinary diagnostic Laboratories. She said it is wonderful for APHIS of the US Department of Agriculture and the FAO of the United Nations to come together to offer this important training.

"In today's' world of uninterrupted global travel and trade, it's in our matual interest to work together to strengthen diagnostic capacity", she added. Declaring the meeting open, Mr. Sheriffo Bojang, the Deputy Permanent Secretary, who deputised the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, said the Avian Influenza poses a real threat to the lives and livelihood of millions of people around the world and to national economies.

He said the Gambia has recognized the importance of committing itself to the harmonizing and coordination of a multidisciplinary and partnership building approach as the most effective way in dealing with the disease.

DPS Bojang disclosed that the Avian Influenza has not been reported in the Gambia but added that the disease has already been reported in 11 African countries, most of them in the West African Sub-region.

The Agriculture DPS further reveals that active surveillance for the disease is on going in the Gambia and other countries in the sub region. He concluded by expressing his hope that the workshop will contribute significantly to the strengthening of national diagnostic capacities to be enable them to respond effectively to the threats of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and other trans-boundary animal diseases.