ADDIS ABABA, 18 July 2024 – The IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) today signed the animal disease information sharing protocol for Karamoja cluster which covers Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda.

Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) of the four countries signed the protocol at the ICPALD convened meeting, which was funded by African Development Bank (AfDB), and brought together participants from Dikhil and Karamoja clusters.

The signing of this protocol will facilitate animal disease information collection and sharing, in the cross-border areas, which is essential in supporting effective and timely decision-making, for the prevention of animal disease spread.

During the two-day meeting held from 18-19 July 2024, the joint vaccination and surveillance calendar and implementation framework was updated, with the aim of enhancing control of transboundary animal diseases (TADs) and zoonosis within the clusters. These discussions were based on the current operational cross border memoranda of understanding (MoU).

In the past, ICPALD has facilitated the signing of cross border MoU between IGAD countries, such as the Karamoja cluster MoU. The MoU not only enhance joint disease surveillance and synchronized vaccination but also livestock trade.

As a preventive measure, this disease surveillance practice helps reduce animal health-related risks and major consequences of disease outbreaks on food production and livelihoods. A transparent veterinary service, which undertakes prompt and accurate disease notification assists bordering countries to undertake timely action and builds credibility amongst trading partners. Likewise, the practice promotes fair and safe animal and animal products trade.

Additional Resource: Information Sharing Protocol

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Background Information

The IGAD region is home to over 532 million heads of livestock including poultry, presenting a huge potential for wealth creation and economic progress. A large proportion of livestock is produced by pastoral and agro-pastoral system in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) where mobility is part of the production system. Seasonal livestock movement involves crossing international borders where TADs easily spread from one country to another.

Moreover, control or management of TADs requires cooperation between two or more neighbouring countries, to mitigate the diseases’ threat to the economy, trade and/or food security of the affected countries. The seasonal cross border movement of livestock, in search of water, pasture and trade opportunities contributes to the spread of TADs. Therefore, a harmonized approach for TADs management is necessary in order to mitigate further spread and economic losses.

As part of the signed MoU implementation, ICPALD has been facilitating technical discussions on effective animal disease information sharing for immediate action. Consequently, the Karamoja cluster countries, mentioned above, agreed on a draft animal disease information sharing protocol, which was validated in October 2023.

For its full operationalization the protocol was thereafter signed on July 18, 2024 in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia by the country CVOs namely: Dr. Fikru Regassa of Ethiopia, Dr. Azegele Allan of Kenya, Dr. Agol M. Kwai of South Sudan and Dr. Anna Rose Okurut Ademun of Uganda.

ICPALD commends the financial support of AfDB, through the Program to Build Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security in the Horn of Africa (BREFONS), for this activity.