IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD), with financial support of AU-IBAR through Live2Africa project funded by the EU, consulted relevant stakeholders in the Republic of South Sudan and collected data on the status, challenges and next steps of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures. The national draft strategy that is aligned to IGAD regional SPS strategy was reviewed, enriched and validated on 29th September, 2021 by SPS technical experts from across the country. The thirty nine (39) participants were drawn from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Ministry of Health, Bureau of Standards, Ministry of Trade, FAO, the private sector and IGAD.
The Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Hon. Onyoti Adigo who expressed the government’s support for the national SPS strategy officially opened the one-day meeting held in Juba. He stressed the need for the country to strengthen its regulatory mechanisms by developing and implementing enacted laws. He noted that South Sudan is a main importer of animal products but informally exports through Sudan which should be regularized if a strategy like the SPS one is in place. This will help increase the countries’ opportunities to access international markets and at the same time safeguard the health of its people, livestock and the environment. The Under-Secretary, Hon. Makuei Malual Kaang and Dr. Wamalwa Kinyanjui on behalf of ICPALD Director made welcome remarks. Finally the meeting made the following recommendations:
- The consultant is to finalize the strategy after including relevant suggestions such as fisheries, piggery, bee keeping etc.
- Include budget and timeline in the framework.
- The relevant ministries will prioritize implementation of the strategy by mainstreaming it into national and donor funded programmes.
ICPALD appreciates both AU-IBAR for financing this activity through EU funds & FAO.
