In the context of its series of Seminars France/SADC on Regional Integration and on the occasion of the International Veterinary Year, the Embassy of France to Botswana, Special representation to SADC partnered with the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI), the French company MERIAL (based in Lyon) as well as the SADC Secretariat in order to organize a thematic day focused on “Foot and mouth disease (FMD) control in Southern Africa” (Gaborone, 4 November 2011).
The full-day programme was divided in two parts:
The morning session was dedicated to the launch of the new BVI-MERIAL purified vaccine against FMD. Hon. Mr Christian De Graaf, Minister of Agriculture, Mrs Margaret Nyirenda, Director of “Food, agriculture and natural resources” at the SADC secretariat and H.E. Mrs Geneviève Iancu, Ambassador of France to Botswana, Special representation to SADC hold speeches on this occasion.
The official ceremony was followed by a technical session. Invited by the Embassy of France, Dr Labib Bakkali Kassimi, Deputy Director of the Virology Department at the Animal Health Laboratory of Maisons-Alfort, France, presented on the French expertise on FMD control. Then, Dr Philippe Dubourget, Director of the FMD programme at MERIAL (Lyon), outlined the properties of the new purified vaccine.
The event attracted experts from the SADC Member States, representatives of MERIAL (Lyon), members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and of the Diplomatic Corps and journalists.
Links:
Programme of the event
Speech by H.E. Mrs Geneviève Iancu, Ambassador of France to Botswana, Special representation to SADC
Hon. Mr Christian De Graaf, Minister of Agriculture and H.E. Mrs Geneviève Iancu, Ambassador of France to Botswana, Special representation to SADC
Public
Visit of the new BVI Laboratory
Dr Labib Bakkali Kassimi
Presentation
