April 28-29, 2026 (KENYA, Naivasha) ICPALD convened a regional workshop to review progress in implementing Regional Livestock Program (RLP) supported livestock policies and strategies at national and sub-national levels, in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
Funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) through the RLP, the forum brought together IGAD Member States experts and RLP implementing partners to assess achievements, address gaps, and strengthen coordinated action amongst the RLP implementing actors and across livestock trade corridors.
At the two-day forum, the respective countries did presentations on their key priority areas and provided case studies to demonstrate success stories on policy/strategy implementation which has had country impact at national and sub-national levels.
Overall, the meeting strengthened stakeholder coordination and harmonization of key livestock policies, enhanced implementation, tracked progress and identified priority actions for improved livestock trade, animal health and rangeland management across the region.
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Background
RLP is a collaborative initiative aimed at addressing the challenges that render smallholder and medium-scale livestock market actors uncompetitive, highly susceptible to economic and environmental shocks. Driven by SDC and AFD co-commitment to enhancing food security in ASAL areas in the face of climate change, RLP outlines a 12-year vision for transformative change within pastoral areas.
To achieve these goals, the first four-year phase of the project (2023-2027) will improve productivity, competitiveness, and policy enabling environment for one camel milk and four livestock trade corridors. These are the domestic camel milk corridor of Wajir/Garissa in Kenya, and the livestock trade corridors of Tog Wajaale in Ethiopia and Somaliland; Moyale in Ethiopia and Kenya; Galkayo in Ethiopia and Somalia; and Afmadow in Kenya and Somalia.
Phase I serves as the foundation for future phases and emphasizes building relationships, establishing an evidence base, and preparing for geographical scaling and expansion in Phase II.
In order to engage stakeholders in harmonization of identified policies and strategies, RLP has established a Policy Technical Working Group aimed at enhancing the coordination and facilitation of policy implementation. It comprises relevant experts from the Ministry of Livestock and Agriculture (national and sub-national levels), Monitoring and Evaluation focal points and implementing partners (Mercy Corps, Helvetas) who met on 28-29 April 2026 in Naivasha.
