African countries have agreed to push sweeping policy reforms aimed at creating a single livestock market across the continent under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in a move expected to boost trade, create jobs and strengthen food security.
The resolution was reached at the Ministerial Session of the 1st African Pastoral Markets Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where ministers responsible for livestock, the African Union (AU), development partners and regional stakeholders pledged to transform Africa’s largely informal pastoral livestock economy into a modern, integrated and investment-driven sector.
Speaking at the meeting, African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Moses Vilakati, said Africa must stop treating pastoral livestock as a rural activity and begin to recognise it as a strategic economic asset capable of driving continental growth.
According to him, Africa’s pastoral economy already supports millions of livelihoods and powers value chains in meat, dairy, leather, animal health, feed production and logistics.
“The challenge before us is not the absence of economic value. The challenge is how we organise, finance, govern and trade that value more effectively,” Vilakati said.
He urged African governments to simplify livestock movement across borders, harmonise sanitary and phytosanitary standards, attract private investment and develop regional livestock corridors, water systems, animal health infrastructure and logistics to unlock the sector’s full potential.
Vilakati outlined five priority areas, including recognising livestock value chains as strategic economic sectors, integrating pastoralists into formal markets, developing regional livestock trade corridors, mobilising public and private investment, and expanding shared infrastructure across member states.
Uganda’s Minister of State for Animal Industry, Dr Bright Rwamirama, said Africa’s livestock challenge was more about weak markets and poor policies than livestock numbers.
“Africa possesses nearly one-third of the world’s livestock resources, but continues to import a significant proportion of processed meat and dairy products from outside the continent,” he said.
He called for the removal of non-tariff barriers, harmonisation of veterinary laws, stronger disease surveillance and greater investment in quarantine stations, laboratories, abattoirs, cold-chain facilities and logistics infrastructure.
Nigeria’s Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, described pastoralism as a major economic driver that has remained underdeveloped for too long.
“We must transition from subsistence-oriented practices to commercially viable enterprises,” Maiha said.
He disclosed that Nigeria, with an estimated 240 million livestock, is implementing reforms to modernise livestock production, improve markets and strengthen animal health systems.
According to him, the Federal Government is promoting ranching, upgrading livestock markets with electricity, water, banking services and security, while introducing animal identification and traceability systems to improve access to finance and boost investor confidence.
“Without identification and tracking, bankers will not agree to accept the livestock,” he said, adding that improved animal health was also critical because many human diseases originate from animals.
Maiha urged African countries to modernise and formalise livestock trade by removing barriers that hinder cross-border movement of animals.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Livestock, Jonathan Mwangangi Mueke, said Africa’s competitiveness would depend on quality, traceability and science-driven livestock production rather than herd size.
“The question before us is no longer whether Africa has livestock. The question is whether Africa has systems that can transform this livestock into wealth,” he said.
He highlighted Kenya’s ongoing livestock reforms, including digital animal identification, veterinary certification and legal reforms designed to attract investment and expand exports.
Somalia’s Minister of Livestock, Forestry and Rangelands, Hassan Hussein Mohamed, said his country was strengthening feed production, animal health systems and livestock traceability to improve exports and food security.
Namibia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mbapeua Muvangua, also urged African countries to invest in disease surveillance, digital traceability, veterinary infrastructure and harmonised regulations to improve access to premium export markets.
The forum, organised by the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) with support from the Gates Foundation and other partners, concluded with a commitment by participating countries to accelerate reforms that will transform Africa’s livestock industry into an integrated, technology-driven and value-added sector capable of driving industrialisation, employment and intra-African trade.
