African Union Commission, through the African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) in partnership with Kenya government and Kenya Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council (KENTTEC) will host the 37th General Conference of the International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) from September 5-19, 2025 in Nairobi.

This year’s theme, “Harnessing One Health Technologies and Innovations Towards Eliminating Trypanosomiasis in Africa,” underscores the urgent need for cross-sectoral solutions to address the disease, which remains one of Africa’s greatest constraints to socio-economic development.

The conference will be officially opened by the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe. Other speakers will include Dr Huyam Salih, Director of AU-IBAR, and Prof Joseph Ndung’u, chairperson of ISCTRC and Principal Secretary, State Department for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke.

The ISCTRC has been holding the biennial conferences for the past 76 years since 1949, serving as a platform for scientists, policymakers, field control workers and partners to exchange knowledge, review progress and chart pathways for trypanosomiasis research and control.

At the 37th conference over 100 scientific papers will be presented, spanning Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), Animal African Trypanosomiasis (AAT), tsetse fly biology and control and environment, land use and socio-economic impacts of the disease.

Reports will be presented from AU member-states, the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) initiative, research institutions, universities and international partners including FAO, WHO, IAEA, WOAH, ICIPE, Find, DNDi, GALVmed and Bill Gates Foundation.

The conference will culminate in the adoption of recommendations to guide research, control and elimination strategies for the next two years. Trypanosomiasis continues to impact both human and animal health across Africa, limiting livestock productivity, agricultural development and rural livelihoods.

Progress is being made, with Kenya being declared by the WHO in 2025 to have eliminated rhodesiense human African trypanosomiasis as a public health problem. However, African animal trypanosomiasis remains a significant challenge, and 38 African countries still face substantial challenges with both the human and animal forms of the disease.

Director of AU-IBAR and Chairperson of ISCTRC Huyam Salih noted, “The ISCTRC Conference is Africa’s scientific heartbeat in the fight against trypanosomiasis. It is here that science and innovations meet policy, ensuring countries have the knowledge and partnerships they need to overcome this disease.”

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe said, “Kenya is proud to host the 37th ISCTRC conference at a historic moment when we have been declared free of human African trypanosomiasis as a public health problem. This is both a milestone and a responsibility, and we look forward to sharing our experience with other African nations and learn from theirs.”

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Joseph Ng’ang’a