Западноафриканские страны и Марокко усиливают систему отслеживания скота

News Follow Us on GoogleJuly 6, 2026 by Daniel Essiet Ecowas, others tighten livestock traceability Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Nigeria, Morocco and Ghana have taken significant steps to strengthen livestock traceability as part of broader efforts to modernise animal health management, improve disease surveillance and expand market access. The initiatives include an ECOWAS regional roadmap on livestock identification and traceability, Nigeria’s National Livestock Information Management System (NLIMS), and Morocco’s new national animal database, according to official ECOWAS, Nigerian government and Moroccan parliamentary reports. The clearest signal of ECOWAS’ commitment came in Lomé, Togo, where the regional bloc concluded the 8th Meeting of its Regional Veterinary Committee. According to an ECOWAS communiqué, the meeting brought together nearly 60 participants from the veterinary services of member states, alongside representatives of regional institutions, international organisations, technical and financial partners, and livestock sector experts to advance livestock identification and traceability across West Africa. Over the three-day meeting, national directors of veterinary services, presidents of national veterinary associations and technical partners reviewed ongoing initiatives and explored digital solutions to longstanding challenges facing the sector. Discussions highlighted constraints to scaling up pilot projects, including limited digital coverage in rural areas, unreliable data collection, insecurity in parts of the region, inadequate funding, weak stakeholder ownership and difficulties in harmonising regional systems. Delegates agreed to adopt a coordinated regional approach under ECOWAS leadership, recommending stronger regulatory and institutional frameworks, harmonised livestock identification systems, wider deployment of digital technologies and enhanced cross-border collaboration. A regional roadmap was subsequently adopted to guide implementation across member states. Read Also: 2027: APC moves to beat INEC deadline, set to upload Tinubu, running mate this week At the opening ceremony, the Acting Executive Director , Regional Animal Health Centre, Dr Eugène Kouassi Koffi, and the Chief of Staff to Togo’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Animal Resources and Food Sovereignty, Mr Konlani Dindiogue, underscored the challenges confronting the livestock sector. They noted that animal diseases, insecurity, climate change, conflicts over access to natural resources and market constraints continue to affect livestock production across the region. They called for modernising existing livestock management systems through electronic identification devices and digital databases, describing traceability as essential for combating livestock theft, strengthening animal health surveillance and improving productivity. According to ECOWAS, the regional body followed the Lomé meeting with concrete investment. On June 23 in Dakar, Senegal, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr Kalilou Sylla, handed over specialised laboratory equipment, measuring and analytical instruments, glassware, chemical reagents, reference standards and consumables to the Veterinary Medicines Control Laboratory (LACOMEV) at the Inter-State School of Veterinary Sciences and Medicine (EISMV). The donation, valued at 172 million CFA francs, is intended to strengthen quality control of veterinary medicines in circulation and improve monitoring of veterinary medicine residues in foodstuffs of animal origin. Representing the Director-General of EISMV, Prof Yalacé Kaboret,Prof Mireille Catherine Kadja Wounou said the equipment “will also help to strengthen the EISMV’s training capacity by providing a suitable environment for practical sessions for students, who will become familiar with modern, high-quality equipment.” Speaking on behalf of the veterinary services directorates of the Regional Project to Support Pastoralism in the Sahel (PRAPS) countries, Dr Mouctar Seydi said the new equipment “will enable more effective monitoring of veterinary medicine residues in foodstuffs of animal origin, particularly meat, milk, eggs and fishery products, for the benefit of the populations of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Mauritania and Chad… as well as the whole of West Africa.” Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has validated the National Livestock Information Management System (NLIMS), a digital platform designed to centralise livestock data and support evidence-based policymaking as part of efforts to build a modern, productive and globally competitive livestock industry. According to the ministry, the validation exercise was held in Abuja. The Permanent Secretary, Dr Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr Stephen Ohaeri, described the development as a major milestone in establishing the institutional framework needed to transform the livestock sector, noting that reliable data is essential for planning, monitoring and attracting investment. The platform is designed to address the longstanding problem of fragmented livestock data by integrating information on animal populations, production systems, markets, animal health and value chains into a single centralised database for collecting, managing, analysing and reporting information. During the validation exercise, developers demonstrated mobile and web-based data collection, integration with existing ministry databases, automated information exchange with partner institutions, multi-layer data validation processes and a centralised data warehouse. Further north, Morocco has also strengthened its livestock identification framework through legislation. According to proceedings of the Moroccan House of Representatives, lawmakers approved Bill 19.25, establishing a national framework for managing stray animals, preventing associated public health risks and regulating the responsibilities of animal owners. The bill was adopted with 74 votes in favour and 21 abstentions, with no votes against. Government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas said the legislation draws on international standards developed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), including its animal health and welfare guidelines. Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Baitas said the law would establish legal and institutional mechanisms for managing stray animals, an area previously handled inconsistently by municipalities and local authorities. According to the legislation, the law establishes a national database containing information on animals and introduces a declaration system intended to improve animal identification and monitoring while defining the obligations of owners and custodians.