The Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS) today jointly adopted a regional strategy for livestock development across the region.
The states adopted the strategy at a hybrid ministerial conference attended by 15 ministers of agriculture from ECOWAS, including Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’IVoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Liberia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Togo, Benin Republic, and Chad and Mauritania.
Speaking earlier, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, chairman of ECOWAS, who was represented by Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the minister of state for agriculture and food security, emphasised how crucial livestock systems were for strengthening resilience in the ECOWAS communities.
Abdullahu noted that the strategy was crucial not only as a major driver of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the region but also to promote market integration and production systems.
He stated that, as part of the President’s commitment to proactively developing a livestock farming system in Nigeria, the President had created a full-fledged ministry of livestock development in Nigeria.
The chairman was convinced that the strategy for the development of livestock constitutes one of the pillars of agricultural development, which will have a triple-fold effect of reducing the importation of livestock, creating jobs, and minimising conflict in the region.
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As part of other strategies, participants advocated the adoption of women and youth in the strategy to promote inclusion and ensure that key stakeholders are mainstreamed in the agenda.
Presenting a summary of the regional strategy for the development of livestock farming and the securing of pastoral systems in West Africa and the Sahel, Alain SY TRAORE, the Director of Agricultural and Rural Development at ECOWAS, emphasised the need for collaboration in the region.
He said the main objective of the strategy is to improve productivity and secure sustainable livestock systems to meet the growth in animal protein needs and strengthen the resilience of populations in West Africa and the Sahel.
Alain said the orientations of the strategy will aim at four areas of intervention: enhancing the economic potential, improving governance, promoting health, and developing an environment favourable to public and private investments in livestock.
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He informed me that the operationalization of the strategy will include engaging political leaders, multi-stakeholder consultations, and technical execution.
The Director informed us that earlier, the member states had identified the challenges in the region to include capacity to respond to the growth in demand for animal proteins owing to the demography of the region as well as the increasing population of its members, insecurity, farmer/herder clashes, among others.
