To improve surgical skills in East, Southern and Central Africa

Royal College of Surgeons Ireland

College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa

Fellowships in 7 specialities.

2013 – EUR 500,000 2014 – EUR 500,000 2015 – EUR 500,000 2016 – EUR 250,000 2017 – EUR 400,000 2018 – EUR 400,000 2019 - EUR 500,000 2020 - EUR 315,000 2021 - EUR 500,000 2022 - EUR 450,000 EUR 211,378 remains with the RCSI for admin, travel, and procurement of IT tech support and platform, relevant for the operation of the programme. EUR 182,226 to COSECSA EUR 36,395 to CANESCA EUR 15,000 to ECSACON -EUR 5,000 to ECSACOG

Health

The Programme is growing the health workforce in 22 countries, through the provision of training in 143 accredited hospitals in the East, Central and Southern Africa region. The cumulative figure of graduate surgeons and anaesthesiologists is 630. 91.5% of COSECSA graduates surveyed are employed as surgeons in Africa. Specific technological innovations developed by the programme include: Development and administration of an Africa-centric surgical e-learning platform. Creation of a bespoke surgical electronic logbook which enhances COSECSA assessment and is the biggest dataset of African surgical training operative information Interactive e-learning tool for non-surgeon cadres performing basic surgery and anaesthesia in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Development of examination standard operating procedures, collaboration on delivery of various seminars, exchange of examiners, and assistance in the establishment of a Court of Examiners.

Current or in progress

2009 - date

https://www.cosecsa.org/

Anne Holmes, Health Policy Co-lead, Development Cooperation and Africa Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Riverstone House, Henry Street, Limerick, Ireland. Anne.Holmes@dfa.ie

The objective of the Africa Agri-Food Development Programme (AADP) is to develop partnerships between the Irish Agri-Food Sector and African companies to support sustainable growth of the local food industry, build markets for local produce and support mutual trade between Ireland and Africa. The partnership involves new and additional resources to the Agri-Food sector and may include a combination of finance and technical assistance. Initiatives are based around the key themes of Food Safety, Animal Health/Veterinary, Business development, Production systems, Training/Mentoring, Technology transfer, R & D and Project Management.

The AADP combines the expertise and experience of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to support initiatives that can directly contribute to the development of agriculture and food systems in Africa.

Irish-registered agri-food businesses

Grant support for feasibility studies and/or full commercial projects, provided on a 50/50 matched basis. Support for grant recipients to establish in-country private and public sector contacts through Irish Embassy networks. The grant must equal a maximum of 50% of the project's total costs, up to a cap of EUR 250,000 for projects and EUR 100,000 for feasibility studies.

In relation to this reporting period (July 2021 - July 2022), there was one call for applications, launched in July 2021 that has been concluded with disbursement in Q4 of 2021 that comprised a total of EUR 327.4k (EUR 206k from DAFM and EUR 121.4k from DFA). This consisted of three grants in Rwanda (EUR 206k), Ghana (EUR 100k) and Tanzania (EUR 21.4k) focused on artisanal cheese production, sustainable shea nut processing and artificial insemination respectively.

Agri-Food/Agri-Business

For African countries to move “beyond aid” they must increase their own trade and attract investors. The development of business and agri-trade is a priority for many African countries where the majority of the population live in rural areas and are dependent on farm incomes. Many agricultural interventions have relied on increasing primary production of food and cash crops without adequate investment in developing markets, infrastructure and the necessary investment climate for business. There is broad consensus amongst development partners that increased, local, regional and international trade will drive food production in developing countries. For investors, Africa still poses many difficulties. Many Irish investors perceive Africa as a high risk environment due to a combination of limited human resources, weak services and fragile governance structures. In the Irish context, we recognise the benefits of partnerships between private sector investors, development agencies and host governments. The desirable outcome is investment, growth and trade that is inclusive (meaning it delivers for the poor and/or marginalised groups), profitable and sustainable beyond the normal cycle of development assistance programmes. The Irish agri-food sector can play a central role in the development of agri-business in Africa by bringing a much needed business perspective to the sector, supported where possible by investment and mutually beneficial trade. Irish expertise, both public and private, in areas such as animal health, food production, veterinary practice, food safety, agri-food business is well established and respected internationally. These kinds of expertise represent a significant learning resource for the agri-food sector in Developing Countries.

Other

The AADP was originally established in 2012 as the 'Africa Agri Food Development Fund'. Following a review in 2016, it was renamed the AADP and re-launched in July 2017.

https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/international-priorities/africa/aadp/

aadp@agriculture.gov.ie