Jotham Musiime
The OIE has learned of the passing away in Nairobi of Dr. Jotham Musiime, former Director of the Inter-african Bureau of Animal Resources of the African Union (AU-IBAR). Dr. Musiime, a Ugandan national, had worked closely with the OIE during the final phase of the eradication of rinderpest, implementing the Pan-African Control of Epizootics (PACE) project.
Indeed, after successfully completing undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary studies in Kenya, Denmark and the United Kingdom, he eventually got involved in the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) as a liaison for the Pan-African Rinderpest Campaign (PARC), as early as 1986, and later as Chief Animal Production Officer and (acting) Director of the African Union’s Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), from 2000 to 2005. Meanwhile he had also worked as a lecturer at the Universities of Makerere (Uganda) and Zimbabwe (Harare).
After his retirement from the AU in 2005, he worked regularly as an expert – consultant for the FAO, as well as occasionally for the OIE (PVS). He also made a considerable contribution to the first Strategic Plan of AU-IBAR and the AU’s Livestock Development Strategy for Africa (LIDESA) in 2014 – 2015.
He is survived by his wife Florence and his three children Aaron, Grace and Luciana. May his soul rest in peace.
