HORN strategic planning workshop

The long anticipated HORN strategic planning workshop was held between the 22nd and 26th of November 2021 at the Sarova Woodlands Hotel & Spa in Nakuru, Kenya. For five consecutive days, 19 participants from across the academic fields of public health, pharmacology, and veterinary sciences worked closely together to come up with a refreshing strategic plan that shall guide the life of the HORN project beyond its current expiry in March 2022.

The first day of the workshop saw consensus building around the need and the importance of the strategic plan with particular consideration that the project is due to end in March, only a few months away. The main objective of the workshop the development of a Strategic Plan for the Department of Public and Global Health (DPGH) and Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology (PHPT), so that in the future members of the two departments can collaborate in writing proposals and developing strategies. This is in light of several important One-Health-related achievements that the two departments have been able to achieve over the last five years of the HORN Project with the aid of HORN funding, including two University of Nairobi post-doctoral appointments and capacity enhancements of our research capabilities.

On day 2, agreements on the projects vision, mission and core values were discussed, as well as a common understanding between the two departments about the definition of One Health. This was preceded by a joint analysis of the project’s gaps, objectives, achievements and action points that make it worthwhile to extend the life of the project.

On day 3 there was then development of the projects strategies and a refinement of its core values.  The project vowed to move forward beyond March 2022 with the core values of accountability and transparency, inclusivity and collaboration, and resilience.

On the fourth day, the strategies of the project were further developed as follows:

  • community health
  • animal health
  • research and innovation
  • training
  • governance, leadership and management
  • environmental heath
  • knowledge and data management

Various activities were established as necessary to promote these strategies as well as reasonable timelines, accountability measures and resources to be relied upon.

On the final day of the project a One Health steering committee, plus secretariat, was established to execute the strategic plan beyond March 2022.