The assessments will inform individual laboratory improvement plans, mentorship and further capacity building under a regional initiative aimed at strengthening laboratory quality management and preparedness for animal disease outbreaks.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is planning baseline assessments of selected animal health laboratories in Kenya and eight other African countries to identify gaps and guide improvements in disease detection and diagnosis.

The countries listed for the next phase are Kenya, Mozambique, Zambia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, São Tomé and Príncipe, Malawi, Ethiopia and Burundi.