The Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise, as the Secretariat of the ERFAN, organized the second regional meeting “Enhancing scientific cooperation between Africa and Italy through the networking activities” dedicated to North African countries in Tunis from November 5 to 7.
The meeting in Tunis was attended by 45 delegates from veterinary institutions in Italy, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and Tunisia: Representatives from the Laboratoire Vétérinaire Central and the Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan of Rabat (Morocco), the Centre National d’Élevage et Recherche Vétérinaire of Nouakchott (Mauritania), the Institut de la Recherche Vétérinaire of Tunis (Tunisia), the Laboratoire National d’Élevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires of Dakar (Senegal) and the National Centre for Animal Health of Tripoli (Libya); and the Veterinary Faculties of the Université Saâd Dahlab de Blida (Algeria), the University of Tripoli and the Ecole Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire in Sidi Thabet (Tunisia). For Italy, experts and researchers from five Istituti Zooprofilattici participated in the meeting: IZS of Abruzzo and Molise, IZS of Piedmont, Liguria and Valle d’Aosta, IZS of Southern Italy, IZS of Puglia and Basilicata, IZS of Sicily. The delegation of IZSAM led by Dr Massimo Scacchia, responsible for Research, Development and Cooperation in international relations of the Institute, was attended by Laura De Antoniis and Chiara Sensoli from the cooperation sector and veterinary managers Fabrizio De Massis, Federica Monaco, Daniela Morelli, Antonio Petrini, Francesco Pomilio and Giovanni Savini.
The Head of Cabinet of the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture, Boubaker Karray, the Italian Ambassador to Tunis, Lorenzo Fanara, the Director of Health Services of the Italian Ministry of Health, Silvio Borrello, the Head of Veterinary Services of Tunisia, Malek Zrelli, the representative of the OIE Regional Sub Office for North Africa, Rachid Bouguedour, and the FAO Regional Sub Coordinator for North Africa, Philippe Ankers opened the meeting.
Participants focused discussion on the structure of the Scientific Network, on administrative activities and on future scientific activities. 7 workin groups were created, supported by African and italian experts, who will work on specific topics such as Food Safety, Brucellosis, Vector Transmission Diseases, Small Ruminant Mycoplasmosis, Bovine Tuberculosis, Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies and Anthrax.
