Rwanda strengthens Ebola preparedness in protected areas
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, and other partners, trained over 150 veterinarians, park rangers, park guides, and porters to strengthen their capacities in Ebola Virus Disease preparedness and response.
The training, delivered under the Pandemic Fund project with the “One Health” principles, was intended to enhance wildlife health surveillance and outbreak prevention across Rwanda’s mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, and protected ecosystems.
The training, which brought together personnel from Volcanoes, Gishwati-Mukura, and Nyungwe National Parks, equipped participants with the knowledge and skills needed for early detection, reporting, prevention, and response to Ebola Virus Disease, while enhancing wildlife and public health surveillance systems. Wildlife health monitoring, safe field operations, infection prevention and control (IPC), personal protective equipment (PPE), biosafety and biosecurity, safe sample handling, risk communication, rumor management, referral pathways, and simulation-based outbreak response exercises in park settings were among the main topics covered.
The training significantly enhanced participants’ capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to Ebola and other viral hemorrhagic fevers through integrated, One Health–driven surveillance and coordinated multisectoral action.
The initiative is part of FAO’s technical support to the ongoing national efforts to reinforce preparedness against the Ebola outbreak declared in the region in May 2026 and other zoonotic disease threats at the human–animal–environment interface, particularly in conservation landscapes that are highly vulnerable to cross-border disease transmission.
Rwanda’s national parks and transboundary ecosystems are home to highly susceptible non-human primates, including gorillas, chimpanzees, and golden monkeys. Strengthening national early detection and prevention capacities and coordinated response is, therefore, an essential step for both wildlife conservation and public health protection.
Opening the training, FAO Representative in Rwanda, Mohamed Aw-Dahir, in his keynote address, delivered by Kanyabujinja Nshuti Placide, Assistant FAO Representative, underscored the critical importance of strengthening frontline preparedness in ecosystems where wildlife, human populations, and the environment interact closely.
“Safeguarding fragile ecosystems requires robust surveillance systems, well-trained and equipped frontline personnel, and strong multisectoral coordination among key stakeholders. Investing in preparedness, particularly in high-risk human–wildlife interface areas, is essential to enhance early detection, prevention, and effective response to disease outbreaks, thereby protecting both biodiversity and public health,” he remarked.
Mohamed Aw-Dahir reaffirmed FAO’s continued commitment to supporting Rwanda’s “One Health” systems, wildlife health management, and pandemic preparedness through targeted technical assistance and strengthened partnerships with national institutions.