NEALCO Membership drive and awareness campaign in Djibouti

NEALCO Membership drive and awareness campaign in Djibouti

Participants at the NEALCO Membership Drive and Awareness Campaign in Djibouti, Djibouti City, 26-28 September 2016

A membership drive and awareness campaign for NEALCO in Djibouti was conducted in Djibouti City from 26^th to 28^th June 2016 with an overall objective of initiating recruitment of national livestock associations into NEALCO. The meeting drew a total of 45 participants from national livestock associations, including, Association Nomade du Plateau d’Aylaadou, La coopérative d’agro-élevage de Gobaad, Le groupement paysan agricole d’Assamo, Association Agropastorale de Djibouti, Association Paix et lait, Association agro pastorale de Sagallou/Wea and Association Dadal-Afito d’Obock and from NEALCO Regional Executive Committee, NEALCO National Chapters and ICPALD.

In his remarks, the Chairman of NEALCO, Dr Taffese Mesfin stressed the NEALCO coverage of 13 countries; namely: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. He further elaborated NEALCO’s main objective of promoting, coordinating, sharing information and advocating for enhanced trade in livestock and livestock products within North and Eastern Africa region and in outside regions such as Middle East countries and Asia.

In his remarks, Dr Joseph Magona, on behalf of Prof. Ahmed Elsawalhy, Director of AU-IBAR, re-affirmed the continued support by SMP-AH project to the promotion of trade in livestock and livestock products through NEALCO. He further stressed that the support to the development of NEALCO was aimed at supporting the 13 countries involved to integrate and jointly work together to promote livestock trade to the benefit of individual livestock associations. He reiterated that the meeting was geared towards recruiting livestock associations into NEALCO and to have elected office-bearers to manage the NEALCO Chapter for Djibouti. Finally, he thanked the continued financial support by USAID to NEALCO.

In his remarks, Dr Wamalwa, on behalf of Dr Solomon Munyua, Director of ICPALD, stated that IGAD Member States trade with MENA countries only met 50% of the demand for live animals and 10% of the demand for chilled meat. NEALCO was envisaged to strengthen livestock associations to enable them improve exports of live animals and livestock products to MENA. He briefed members about oncoming a training of NEALCO executive members in PICA and twinning with ESADA to be implemented by ICPALD.

In his official remarks, Dr Moussa thanked AU-IBAR together with ICPALD for supporting the organization of livestock associations in Djibouti into an umbrella body under NEALCO. He stated that Djibouti Government was ready to provide its support to such programmes to improve livestock production and trade in livestock and livestock products.

The specific objectives for the meeting included:

Creating awareness among national livestock associations in Djibouti about NEALCO
Identifying and recruiting existing national livestock associations in Djibouti into NEALCO
Discussing and identifying interim national office-bearers for NEALCO in Djibouti
Discussing and charting out plans for establishing the NEALCO Chapter in Djibouti
Gathering views from national livestock associations on areas NEALCO can serve them

The following seven national livestock associations in Djibouti participated in the meeting:

Association Nomade du Plateau d’Aylaadou
La coopérative d’agro-élevage de Gobaad
Le groupement paysan agricole d’Assamo
Association Agropastorale de Djibouti
Association Paix et lait
Association agro pastorale de Sagallou/Wea
Association DADAL-AFITO d’OBOCK

The meeting discussed and agreed that Offices for NEALCO National Chapter for Djibouti to be housed by Paix et Lait, Association, Djibouti, Balbala, Citi Cheik Moussa, 55 logement lot No. 55; Tel: 77 12-94 63 or 77 81 87 30. E-mail [email protected]. Contact: Abdoulekadh Doualeh.

In addition, it was decided that ICPALD and NEALCO national executive committees for Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda to support registration of the NEALCO National Chapters preferably by end of December 2016

The following persons were elected by members from seven national livestock associations under close observation of the NEALCO Executive Members to run the NEALCO National Branch in Djibouti for next three years:

Gouled Mohamed Bouh – Chairperson
Moussa Mohamed Abdallah – Vice Chairperson
Mohamed Obakar Bililis – Secretary
Ibrahim Mohamed Seho – Assistant Secretary
Ms Aicha Abdallah Houmed– Treasurer
Ahmed Abdoulkader Ali – Assistant Treasurer
Abdoulkader Doualeh Sougueh was elected as a Member of the Regional NEALCO Executive Committee representing Djibouti.