Us-based animal health company, Zoetis has launched a five-year imitative to boost livestock and fisheries health and productivity in East, Central and West Africa.
The new initiative dubbed, African Livestock Productivity and Health Advancement Plus (A.L.P.H.A Plus) also co-funded by Melinda Gates aims to improve veterinary health and food security, focusing on cattle production, poultry, and aquaculture.
According to Drees Beekman, Zoetis Senior Vice President Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, the initiative will be carried out in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and extend to additional markets including Ivory Coast and other markets in West, East and Central Sub-Saharan Africa.
“We are very proud to continue our support on the continent, and having the opportunity to bring our local stakeholders together to discuss innovative ideas is invaluable for advancing our productivity,” said Beekman during the programme launch in Nairobi.
Further, the initiative will seek to improve animal health and farmers’ livelihoods through enhanced training, with a target of training 100,000 stakeholders by 2025.
There will be a strong focus on gender diversity, including women-led, female-only training courses that are optimally designed to maximize attendance.
Zoetis will also develop distribution and training models for ‘last mile’ networks, build disease diagnostic services through laboratory networks in cooperation with public and private local partners, and develop outcomes research and digital services.
$15.3 million grant
The A.L.P.H.A Plus initiative is a continuation of the A.L.P.H.A initiative that was first launched in 2017 in four African countries- Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda.
This first event in Kenya marks the significant progress made on the continent as the company prepares to expand its support, with the $15.3 million Innovative Animal Health Models for Small-Scale Producers grant it received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation received in March 2023.
“We are happy to have A.L.P.H.A Plus here with us in the next five years and possibly beyond. We know that Zoetis presence in other countries before has contributed immensely to the development of the livestock industry, thereby improving livelihoods. We trust that your presence here in Kenya will have a similar impact on the livelihoods of our people,” said Dr. Obadiah Njagi, director of Veterinary Services, State department of livestock development ministry of Agriculture in Kenya during the event which was attended by key local stakeholders representing the veterinary and farming sector.
Gender diversity focus
As with the first initiative, gender diversity is a strong focus, with Zoetis looking to specifically develop opportunities for female farmers.
Using expertise gained from the first A.L.P.H.A initiative, which saw 26,000 farmers, veterinarians and para-veterinarians trained in veterinary care (approximately 30 per cent of whom were women), funding will be used to further develop women-led, female-only training courses optimally designed to maximize attendance.
“The new target is to train 100,000 stakeholders by 2025, and it is extremely important that we continue to focus on gender diversity to improve the livelihoods of women within these regions,” said Beekman.
Fish production in East Africa
Scaling up fish production in the region is another key objective for Zoetis, which is exploring opportunities in Lake Victoria and Lake Volta, using knowledge backed by its aquatic health business PHARMAQ to help understand the veterinary and productivity requirements of small-scale fish producers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“With tilapia being one of the fastest growing animal protein sources in emerging markets, facilitating its geographic expansion and scalability can have a significant, positive impact on sustainable nutrition and economic growth in the region,” said Beekman.
