One Health Europa-Africa Summit on Veterinary Public Health & Food Safety

The NEXTAFRICA Project is a Una Europa Seed Funding initiative, aimed at strengthening food safety and preventing livestock diseases to promote public health and food security across Africa. Focused on addressing global health and agricultural challenges, the project supports the objectives of the Africa Food Safety Strategy (FSSA 2022–2036) and contributes to achieving at least seven United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Food Safety Challenges in Africa

Africa faces some of the world's most significant food safety challenges, accounting for approximately 30% of global deaths from foodborne illnesses. Unsafe food leads to around 137,000 deaths and 91 million cases of acute illness each year, particularly affecting children under five years old. Economically, unsafe food costs approximately USD 110 billion annually in productivity losses and healthcare costs.

NEXTAFRICA works to address these challenges by promoting research, innovation, and training, fostering collaboration between young and experienced researchers from Europe and Africa. The project adopts a multidisciplinary One Health approach that integrates human, animal, and environmental health.

Launching the One Health Europe–Africa Summit 2025

We are excited to announce the One Health Europe–Africa Summit in June 2025 at the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET) at the University of Bologna. This event will culminate the NEXTAFRICA project and feature a rich program of workshops and an international conference focused on research, collaboration, and knowledge exchange.
When: June 2025
Where: University of Bologna, Ozzano dell'Emilia (Italy) – Online participation also available
Registrations: https://ticket.fondazionealmamater.it/fam/nextafrica/ 
Registration Deadline: June 3, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. CET

Free Registration: Participation in the conference is free of charge, but registration is mandatory. Onsite attendance will be limited to the first 60 registered participants.

As part of the NEXTAFRICA project, we are organizing a series of 12 thematic workshops from June 11 to June 26, 2025. The workshops will be held in hybrid format, with in-person participation at the University of Bologna and Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and online access.