IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) facilitated signing of bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Ethiopia/Kenya in order to formally coordinate disease control on border areas. To operationalize the signed MoU, ICPALD coordinated the launch of synchronized/harmonized vaccination in August, 2019 at Moyale that saw vaccination of 7,815,265 heads of livestock that benefited 250,254 households. Continuity was disrupted by Covid-19 pandemic that brought about strict human movement as containment measures. To keep the momentum, ICPALD organized a similar exercise once again between 20-22^nd October, 2021 to launch synchronized/harmonized vaccination between the crossborder areas of the two countries, against Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP) and Peste Des Petits Ruminants (PPR), and developed a harmonized vaccination calendar for 2022 against priority TADs.

The one-day planning meeting, and two days in the field for the launch of synchronized/harmonized vaccination against common TADs across the Ethiopia-Kenya crossborder, was opened officially by Dr. Yohannes Girma on behalf of the CVO Ethiopia. Dr. George Njogu, on behalf of CVO-Kenya and Dr. S. J. Muchina Munyua, the Director of ICPALD, made welcome remarks. It was attended by 32 technical officers from the Ministries in charge of animal resources from Ethiopia & Kenya, and ICPALD. The following recommendations were made:

Recommendations

1. Ethiopia, Kenya and IGAD should strengthen harmonized and joint planning on animal health and sanitary measures as well as incorporate activities related to livestock movement control, awareness creation for communities TADs management and signed MoU.
2. The two countries follow the harmonized surveillance and vaccination calendar with a target of eradicating PPR by 2027 ahead of global eradication 2030 year.
3. The two countries with support of IGAD should sign the draft information sharing protocol on TADs incidents and trade across the common borders. Meanwhile, information can be shared informally by the sub-regional representatives to facilitate control of TADs.
4. IGAD should support joint capacity building of animal health professionals and other stakeholders from the two countries.
5. The two countries should improve livestock support infrastructures such as labs, markets and natural resources along the border and promote shared use.
6. The two countries and IGAD should mobilize resources from national governments and from donors/development partners to fund cross-border activities.

Launch of Synchronized/Harmonized Vaccination – 21^st and 22^nd October, 2021

The communities from both sides expressed appreciation to the two governments (Ethiopia and Kenya) and IGAD for facilitating the exercise. The Kenya side area Assistant Chief requested for more boreholes, or rehabilitation of the two available ones by making provision of watering troughs and overhead water storage tanks to ensure adequate availability of water for livestock.

Acknowledgement: ICPALD expresses appreciation to the World Bank for funding this activity.