VET-GOV

1.0        Introduction

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region consists of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The region covers 5,209.722 sq. Km of which about 35% is agricultural and forest land. The rest is arid and semi-arid. The region has a human population of 238,990,000 with a 2013 average Gross Development Product (GDP) Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) per capita of USD 1,532.9, varying from USD488 in Eritrea to USD 2,730 in Sudan.

The IGAD region is endowed with abundant resources including 9% of the world cattle population, 60% of world camels, 8% of world small ruminants, a vast quantity of minerals (including oil), rivers, lakes, forests and a high agricultural potential. Despite these attributes, the 2012 estimates of the Gross National Income at Power Purchasing Parity (GNI-PPP) in all the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) of Africa places IGAD as the second poorest with a GNI-PPP of US$1,746 after the East African Community with GNI-PPP of US$1,260. Previous estimates had similarly placed the IGAD region as the second poorest region on the continent with a per capita income about US$1,197.

1.1.      Constraints to Regional Development in the IGAD

There are several constraints that contribute to reduced regional development in the IGAD Member States (MS). Amongst these include (i) conflicts within and between the MS; (ii) recurring hazards such as droughts, floods (climatic changes) leading to widespread famine, ecological degradation and economic hardships; (iii) presence of endemic, emerging and re-emerging trans-boundary animal diseases (TADs) and zoonoses; and (iv) rapidly increasing population coupled with inadequate food production, increasing food prices and dependency on food aid.

1.2.      Contribution of Livestock to Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (AGDP) in the IGAD Member States

The major economic driver of the IGAD Member States (MS) is agriculture. The livestock resource base in the region is estimated at more than 520 million of which about 35% are small ruminants. Livestock in the IGAD region contributes an estimated 57% of the regional Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (AGDP). The region is the leading exporter of live animals in Africa contributing 42% of the exports from the continent. Although Africa is a net importer of livestock products, the IGAD region is the only region in Africa that is self-sufficient in its meat requirements. Small ruminants contribute more than 80% of the livestock exports from the IGAD region. Livestock trade contributes to regional integration by connecting livestock producing areas to regional markets and improvement of this aspect is considered a key driver for economic development in the region.

At the Member State (MS) level, livestock contribution to the AGDP in year 2000 was estimated at 87.4% in Djibouti; 56.5% in Eritrea; 32.5% in Ethiopia; 52.4% in Kenya; 88.2% in Somalia; 61.8% in Sudan (inclusive of Sudan and South Sudan) and 19.8% in Uganda. The share of livestock GDP in Overall GDP (%) was estimated as 3.1% in Djibouti; 9.7% in Eritrea; 17% in Ethiopia; 10.4% in Kenya; 23% in Sudan and 8.1% in Uganda. In 2012, the IGAD Livestock Policy Initiative (IGAD-LPI) estimated an increase of 350% above official 2009 estimates of the contribution of livestock to agricultural GDP in Ethiopia; 18% in Sudan; 87% in Uganda; and 150% in Kenya. Using official statistics compiled before the independence of South Sudan, livestock has in recent years consistently provided more than 60% of the estimated value added to the agricultural sector in Sudan, and is a substantially more important contributor to agricultural GDP than crop farming. The livestock’s share of exports in Sudan has considerably grown from less than 10% in the 1960s to just less than 50% in 2012.

Despite the importance of livestock towards contribution to livelihoods and the GDP, the sector is constrained by inadequate investments to enhance its contribution to the development of the African Continent. Indeed there exists rampant poverty in the livestock keeping areas despite its great leverage potential as a means to wealth creation and poverty reduction.

1.3.      Policy Shifts

Many of the IGAD MS have inadequate policy environment to adequately support livestock production. Empirical evidence shows that there is bias by many IGAD governments towards investment in crop agriculture. There are limited incentives for private sector investments in livestock production and marketing as evidenced by poor resource allocation by national governments and inadequate coordination among actors in the livestock sector. Inadequacy in accurate economic data on livestock in the MS has partially contributed to limited information on investment opportunities in the livestock sector and poor investment in value chains.

After the considerable attention given to agricultural development during the 1970s and early 1980s by both international donors and developing countries, support precipitously declined during the 1990’s following the introduction of structural adjustment programs (SAPs) in the late 1980’s. Many institutions and processes that previously depended on public sector financing ceased or were down-sized, with serious consequences on technical and institutional capacities. During the late 1970s, for example, the share of overseas development assistance (ODA) devoted to agriculture in developing country was between 12-15%, a proportion that fell to about 2.5% in 2000. The SAPs subjected the livestock sub-sector in the IGAD and to Africa in general, to unfavourable government policies consequently resulting to under-funding from public and private sectors. This exacerbated the situation leading to poorly functioning institutional settings and weak implementation capacity of policies, regulations and standards. Despite the small increases in ODA to investments in agricultural sector by 2004, the proportion allocated to livestock development was minimal.

In early 2000, many IGAD countries developed Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP). Djibouti developed its paper in 2001; Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda in 2000. The PRSPs were prepared by the member countries through a participatory process involving domestic stakeholders as well as development partners, including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The objective was to streamline and focus financing needs. While some countries eventually adopted the PRSPs, the decontrolling of input costs did not help the process and neither did the PRSPS enhance investment in the livestock sector. Other policy initiatives were developed by IGAD member states as guides to investment in the agricultural sector, and by extension to livestock industry. These action plans and strategies have been complements with other policy documents.

In the past few years, agricultural development has regained prominence in discussions on policies for economic development, wealth creation and poverty alleviation in Africa. African leaders have repeatedly underlined agriculture’s economic and social importance, and made specific policy proposals on targets for agricultural growth and for a significant increase in the share of national budgets devoted to agriculture, through the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) evaluations undertaken since 2006 by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) further highlight the need to strengthen policy institutions involved in livestock services. The emergence of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as IGAD and their technical offices on the African scene presents opportunities for increased avenues for advocacy and mobilization of investments in the livestock sector. Despite the development of a Regional Policy Framework on Animal Health in the Context of Trade and Vulnerability for Member States of the IGAD in 2009 the prevailing institutional environment in most IGAD countries is still not adequate for the provision of affordable, accessible and sustainable quality livestock services. IGAD through its technical office responsible for livestock development, the IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) is however, increasingly working with Member States to enhance livestock development by supporting through advocacy policy shifts and institutional reforms to reverse the negative trends of livestock development.

The need for a framework of coherent policies and development strategies that facilitate livestock development and ensure that the full potential of livestock in the horn of Africa (HOA) countries is exploited is already overdue. Increased livestock production will depend on the adoption of appropriate technology, improved support services, market access and infrastructural development.

It is noteworthy that while the Horn of Africa (HoA) has the fastest-growing livestock sector on the African continent, its development of the sector is constrained by a number of factors among them including limited public-sector investment and poorly coordinated support services which tend to favour wealthier livestock keepers. This situation can partly be attributed to a lack of any consistent strategy for livestock development and disease control.

 

In order to reverse the negative trends of livestock development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), major institutional and policy reforms are required at national, regional and pan-African levels.

It is on the basis of the above that AU-IBAR working together with its strategic partners the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the OIE developed a continental program entitled Reinforcing African Veterinary Governance in Africa (VET-GOV) in a bid to bring about institutional strengthening of veterinary services.

The programme – focuses on creating a conducive and participatory change environment through evidence-based advocacy and knowledge creation; building institutional and individual capacity in policy analysis, formulation and implementation to undertake institutional strengthening of veterinary services; and encouraging change through supporting initiatives with high leverage effects.

 

To achieve its objectives the programme pursues the following results areas:

 

Result 1: Knowledge and awareness for institutional change enhanced. Under this result area the programme aims at the facilitation or acceptance aspect of change. Evidence on the need for improved institutions is generated and used to convince the policy makers and stakeholders to invest in the sector to improve the livelihoods of many citizens. To achieve this, the programme collates and documents data to support knowledge creation. It also undertakes evidence-based advocacy through piloting some activities to support interventions through awareness, formulation and implementation.

 

Result 2: Institutional capacity for livestock policy formulation, animal health strategies and legislation enhanced. Under this result area, the programme focuses on enhancing capacity for formulating the necessary policies and their implementation strategies. To undertake this, the project builds capacities at national and regional levels for livestock policy and animal health strategy formulation; capacities for reviewing and development of animal health legislation; and provides guidance for the adoption of policies, strategies and legislation and/or their review and harmonisation and support integration into the national processes.

 

Result 3: Institutional capacity for the implementation of policies and enforcement of regulations enhanced. Under this result area, the programme focuses on enhancing capacities for timely collection, analysis and sharing of accurate sanitary information; strengthening disease prevention and control mechanisms at national and regional levels; facilitating the participation of African countries in standard setting processes; and enhancing the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and countries to assess compliance of veterinary services with OIE standards.

For further details contact
Dr Samuel Wakhusama
samuel.wakhusama[at]igad.int