You are cordially invited.

ACURET.ORG, [Animal Care and Use in Research, Education and Testing], has in the last 10 years being in the fore front of mobilizing, stimulating and inspiring colleagues who use animals in their research or teaching activities to reconsider how and what they do with these animals. They are not just ‘rats’ as some would like to believe. As sentient animals, pain, distress and discomfort experienced by these animals does impact on the data generated from using them with significant influence on the results and its interpretations. The Quality of the Science becomes questionable, when results cannot be validated or reproduced, and clinical translatability almost impossible. ACURET has been promoting the principles of humane animal care and use for scientific purposes in developing countries with some demonstrable changes observed.

It is therefore the time to invite you to the 4th ACURET International Workshop/Conference and 10th year Anniversary Celebrations that will take place between December 1st – 3rd ,2022, in the beautiful ancient city of Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria. The COVID-19 pandemic obviated our objective in 2021, but it is never late to celebrate! We shall take stock, review our efforts over the past decade and renew our strategy going forward with a view to reaching many more developing countries in Africa. The goal of the meeting is a retreat to determine the future of animal care and use in research, education and testing for scientific purposes in Developing Countries and prepare for better science.

Highlights of the conference would include a showcase of the level of adoption and practice of the principles of humane care and use in the oral and poster session presentations; a ‘walk’ campaign to drive home how “human wellbeing benefits humane animal welfare” and a sustainable and innovative strategy to reach every African country by the year 2030, to include a Lab Animal Medicine Summit of Veterinarians, by Veterinarians for Veterinarians and hands-on practical 3Rs Preconference workshop on Replacement, Reduction and Refinement with multiple examples in a narrow Instructor/participant ratio.

This gathering is not just celebration of a decade of existence, but also a celebration of the pioneer navigator and Chairman at inception, the late Prof. E. Ademola Caxton-Martins, a great teacher, mentor and Visionary Leader. His foresight is the reason, ACURET came into being, even though he passed on before ACURET was structurally configured. We shall also appreciate the support of those who believed in the dream of and leaned helping hands in the growth of ACURET.

We look forward to welcoming you in Abeokuta in December 2022
Best wishes,

Prof. Francis-Adelade GO Fakoya, MBChB, MSc, PhD.
Principal, ACURET.ORG
On behalf of the Board of Trustees