Nairobi, Kenya
Dr Jane Lwoyero joins the Representation in Nairobi as Programme Officer AMR
July 20, 2018
Read more
Dr Ólafur Valsson, a veterinarian by training and experienced auditor of competent authorities and private entities, on international standards on animal health and veterinary public health, joined the OIE Sub-Regional Representation for Southern Africa on 15 June 2018 as Programme Officer for antimicrobial resistance. This position is supported by the Fleming Fund (United Kingdom).
Ólafur is Icelandic and brings with him extensive experience on compliance with international standards on residue monitoring and prudent use of antimicrobials in terrestrial animals and in aquaculture, among other. He graduated in veterinary science from the Royal Veterinary University of Copenhagen, Denmark and holds a post-graduate Masters of Science (MSc) in Tropical Animal Health from the Institute for Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium.
Ólafur has wide experience in the veterinary field as private practitioner, District Veterinary Officer and Deputy Director for an intergovernmental organisation in Brussels, the EFTA Surveillance Authority, ESA where he was responsible for food & feed safety, animal health & welfare in terrestrial and aquatic animals.
He has in the past audited national official services around the world, including the EU Member States and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) on a broad range of topics, inter alia, contingency planning and crisis management, residues monitoring and veterinary medicinal products, animal identification and traceability, feed and medicated feed, trade and import of live animals and animal products, and official import controls on food of plant origin.
In recent years he has worked as an expert and team leader in projects in different parts of the world including Africa, covering veterinary regulatory frameworks, residues monitoring plans and surveillance in honey and aquaculture, risk analysis, contingency planning and SPS measures.
Dr Valsson hopes to assist OIE in the Southern African region to further develop measures to prevent escalation of antimicrobial resistance as well as contributing to other tasks of the OIE. He can be contacted at [email protected].
