Africa Must Match Animal Disease Commitments With Action – Minister

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has called on African countries to match their commitments to controlling transboundary animal diseases with concrete action, political will and adequate funding.

Maiha warned that the failure to implement decisions reached at regional meetings was undermining livestock productivity, food security and trade across the continent.

The minister made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of the 13th Meeting of the Regional Steering Committee of the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) for Africa, hosted by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.

He said that despite two decades of regional discussions and agreements, Africa continued to struggle with translating policy decisions into practical interventions at the national level.

“The record shows a Committee that has become very good at convening and less sure that its decisions travel,” he said.

Maiha noted that strategies adopted at regional meetings often faced funding constraints and competing priorities when they reached national institutions, weakening efforts to contain animal disease outbreaks.

He warned that transboundary animal diseases continued to spread across national borders, threatening livestock production and limiting the continent’s ability to benefit from regional and international trade.

“Diseases do not go on recess or take a break. They cross and ravage on without regard to boundaries, political or administrative,” he said.

The minister identified the revision of the African Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) eradication timeline, replenishment of the continental vaccine bank and improved coordination of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) control as priority issues requiring concrete decisions.

On the proposed revision of the 2030 PPR eradication target, Maiha called for an evidence-based deadline backed by clear accountability measures for vaccination coverage and delivery.

He also advocated a continental vaccine bank capable of responding promptly to outbreaks, stressing that accessibility and delivery time should determine decisions on vaccine stock management.

“A continental vaccine bank that can be drawn down within days of an outbreak is worth more to Africa than a larger stock held further away. Africa’s vaccine sovereignty is a matter of animal health security, and the replenishment question ought to be answered on that basis,” he said.

Maiha reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the GF-TADs mechanism, explaining that the country agreed to host the meeting because of its confidence in the framework as an important instrument for addressing animal health challenges across Africa.

He pledged Nigeria’s political support for the committee and said the Federal Government would work with the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, alongside relevant institutions, to strengthen the implementation of its decisions.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, said Nigeria’s hosting of the meeting demonstrated its commitment to regional biosecurity, safe animal trade and the development of a resilient livestock sector.

Akujobi, who was represented by the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr Samuel Anzaku, said the cross-border nature of animal diseases made collective action essential.

“They do not check passports at our borders. As such, our challenges are shared, and consequently, our solutions must be collective, synchronised and resolved,” she said.

Also speaking, the Director of the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), Dr Huyam Salih, stressed the need to translate continental priorities into coordinated national action.

She called on participants to review progress under the existing strategic framework, establish clear priorities for the next implementation period and strengthen coordination among continental institutions, regional economic communities and national governments.

Salih also urged stakeholders to ensure that recommendations from the meeting aligned with Africa’s broader livestock development priorities and received adequate implementation support.

In a goodwill message, the representative of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Dr Neo Joel Mapitse, called for stronger government ownership and increased domestic funding for transboundary animal disease control.

He said development partners were willing to support African countries but expected governments to demonstrate commitment through political will and adequate budgetary allocations.

Mapitse disclosed that all WOAH member countries in Africa had undergone the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) evaluation process, including Nigeria.

He also advocated stronger collaboration among AU-IBAR, WOAH, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and other institutions under the One Health approach.

The FAO representative, Dr Mohammed Shamsuddin, identified weaknesses in disease surveillance, laboratory services, biosecurity and emergency preparedness as persistent challenges to effective animal disease control.

He said transboundary diseases affected livestock producers, pastoralists, food security, public health and trade, while climate variability and changing production systems further complicated control efforts.

Shamsuddin said the FAO had supported the strengthening of animal health systems across Africa through the training of nearly 3,000 professionals in 46 countries and capacity development for 70 veterinary laboratories.

He added that 53 laboratories across the continent had the capacity to identify priority economically important animal diseases.

The FAO representative urged participants to focus on measurable results rather than activities, including earlier disease detection, faster outbreak response and the translation of regional strategies into adequately funded national programmes.

The three-day meeting is expected to review progress on previous recommendations and agree on priority interventions for controlling transboundary animal diseases across Africa.

Its deliberations will cover PPR eradication, FMD prevention and control, African Swine Fever, vaccine bank replenishment, disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, digital monitoring and coordination among national and regional veterinary services.

The meeting brings together representatives of AU-IBAR, FAO, WOAH, regional chief veterinary officers, development partners and other stakeholders.