The School of Nursing in the Faculty of Health Sciences has launched the Botswana Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa (TIBA) Project. The project was launched at the UB Library Auditorium on May 18, 2018.
TIBA – from “to cure an infection” in Swahili and Setswana, is an Africa-led, wide-ranging, multi-disciplinary research programme that explores and draws lessons from the way different African health systems tackle infectious diseases. TIBA will help empower African scientists to effectively and sustainably tackle neglected tropical diseases such as schistosomiasis, malaria, trypanosomiasis and lymphatic filariasis, and improve preparedness for epidemics such as Ebola.
TIBA is a collaborative programme for the University of Edinburgh (UK) and nine African Universities which include the University of Botswana, University of Kwazulu-Natal, University of Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Ghana and Rwanda. In Botswana the project is entitled: “A Situational Analyses of Schistosomiasis among communities in the Okavango Delta” and is aimed at determining the extent and magnitude of the schistomiasis problem in the Okavango Delta with a view to influencing policy and resource mobilisation.
Officiating at the launch, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Professor David Sebudubudu, said the project would further contribute to capacity-building for health professionals and communities through training and feedback workshops. He also appreciated the scholarship the University of Edinburgh offered to TIBA project scientists in Africa to conduct research that responded to societies’ health needs.
“The scholarships comes at an opportune time when UB is working towards intensifying research through graduate education and applied research,” said Professor Sebudubudu.
He said the launch offered a perfect chance for stakeholders to share their research experience, learn and create lasting links to experts, and to discuss new opportunities and developments towards building sustainable and healthy communities.
He also added that the seeds of collaborations planted from the launch would help communities and stakeholders, as well as the respective universities and institutions, to play a meaningful role in society.
Addressing the guests on global perspective on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative, Ms Bongotlo Ramontshonyana, said WHO had established a list of 17 NTDs including rabies, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases, and trachoma, to name a few. She further said NTDs affected more than one billion people world-wide, and cost developing economies billions of dollars every year.
“The burden is felt mostly in Asia and Africa whereby 46 per cent of the population endemic for at least one of the five preventive chemotherapy diseases resides in south east Asia, while 38 per cent resides in Africa, and globally NTDs account for an estimated 534 000 deaths annually,” said Ms Ramontshonyan.
University of Botswana School of Nursing lecturer, Professor Nthabiseng Phaladze added that the project would be conducted in areas such as Maun, Etsha and Shakawe.
“Previous studies indicate that 75 per cent of people at risk in Ngamiland had no knowledge of schistosomiasis, so they could not associate any symptoms with the infection. This knowledge gap is likely to have widened considering the decadal neglected status of schistosomiasis in the country,” said Professor Phaladze.
She further stated that the public health threat of schistosomiasis in the Okavango Delta suggested the need to assess morbidity among communities in the pan handle area, and data generated by such study might influence re-instatement of the National Schistosomiasis Control Programme. She also urged health-related graduates to take advantage of the opportunity and apply for the scholarships to grow knowledge and experience in Botswana.
TIBA Deputy Director, Professor Moses Chimbari, said the project came along with funding of about £7 million over four years from the University of Edinburgh, and 80 per cent has been allocated to Africa partners for training in post-graduate studies. He also said the postgraduate scholarship opportunity would contribute to the School of Nursing mandate of conducting research that responded to society’s health needs.
Welcoming the guest, Faculty of Health Sciences lecturer, Professor Ishmael Kasvosve, said UB aspired to become a research-intensive university by 2021. Therefore, productive collaborations with well-established external institutions was a strategy that would contribute towards sustained output of quality research for UB, he added.