Press Release

OPEC Fund helps establish a training centre at the National Laboratory of Public Health in Burkina Faso

129/2005 December 20, 2005, Vienna, Austria
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The OPEC Fund for International Development has approved a grant of US$100,000 to co-finance the construction and equipment of a training centre at the National Laboratory of Public Health (LNSP) in Burkina Faso. This will improve the competence of laboratory personnel in the field of food, drugs, water and pesticide quality control as well as in the field of monitoring epidemiologic diseases.

The lack of high level laboratory training centres in Burkina Faso and in the majority of West African sub Region, encourage governments to send their laboratory technicians abroad for training in developed countries. Due to the high costs of training fees, accommodation and travel involved in attending such training courses, the frequency of training is very limited, even though the technological developments within public health require constant readjustment of knowledge and competence.

The acquisition, maintenance and development of technical skills of laboratory staff, at the Burkina Faso LNSP is crucial, in order to analyse results related to the protection of the population against harmful products, in addition to the diagnosis of diseases, therapeutic follow ups of patients and epidemiologic monitoring.

The project will comprise the following components: the construction of a facility for a data processing unit for training and video-conferencing to be used for distance and group training; a lodging unit for trainers and trainees alike; and the component of equipment, furniture and material, to include the provision of necessary equipment for training in the field of medical biology, food, drugs, water and other analysis.

The realisation of the training centre will allow Burkina Faso to organise multiple short training courses for a variety of important targeted audiences. Burkina Faso and the West African sub Region will greatly benefit from the establishment of this Training Centre. At least six training programs will be organised annually, allowing personnel of other laboratories in the sub-region to enhance their competences. The training modules will be related to chemical, microbiological and toxicological analyses of food, study of medical biology, cigarettes, tobacco, pesticides, quality standard assurance, maintenance of lab equipment, in addition to the administrative and financial management of the laboratory, amongst others.

The OPEC Fund has extended two loans to Burkina Faso since 1993 totalling US$6.7 million. The first was extended towards the establishment of a national public health laboratory in Ouagadougou to serve as a referral unit and to provide services that were not available in the country. The second loan was extended to the same laboratory for civil works i.e., the establishment of units for toxicology, analysis, storage of materials and quality control of products. The establishment of the training centre at the National Laboratory of Public Health is a complimentary component to the previous operations and will further enhance and consolidate what has been achieved to date. This will accommodate the training needs of personnel in Burkina Faso and also serve as a regional centre for neighbouring countries.