Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 6 February 2016:- The official closing ceremony of the 7th PATTEC training course on Planning and Execution of PATTEC Projects took place at Ecole de Lutte Anti-Tsetse (ELAT), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso on 6th February 2016. The training course had been jointly organized by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and the African Union Commission through the PATTEC Coordination Office. The 7th session was a continuation of a series of training courses that have been designed to enhance tsetse and trypanosomosis (T&T) affected countries’ capacities to address the single most important constraint to rural development in Sub Saharan Africa. To achieve the training course objectives, the topics covered included tsetse biology and ecology, epidemiology of sleeping sickness and nagana, tsetse and trypanosomosis control strategies, the application of Geographical Information System (GIS) Technology in T&T management and principles and concepts of project management. The training course drew a total of sixteen (16) participants from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Malawi.

Dr. Gift Wiseman Wanda, Officer In-Charge at the PATTEC Coordination Office represented the African Union Commission at the closing ceremony. In his remarks, he thanked the Popular Democratic Republic of Burkina for availing the excellent training facilities at ELAT for the training course. The official opening was performed by a representative of the Minister responsible for Animal and Aquatic Resources, Mr. Josue Tamini. In his official address, the representative of the Minister commended the joint efforts by BADEA and PATTEC Coordination Office to build countries’ capacities in addressing the T&T scourge.