#OneHealth, Partnership
3 February 2025

Ceva and GALVmed unite at the Prevent Event to advancing sustainability and resilience in Africa’s poultry industry

The Prevent Event, held on October 1st in Kigali, Rwanda, brought together key stakeholders from across Africa’s poultry industry to address challenges and opportunities in building a sustainable and resilient poultry value chain.

Hosted by Ceva Santé Animale and GALVmed, the event emphasized the importance of collaboration, innovation, and prevention in advancing poultry production while safeguarding livelihoods and ensuring food security.

Establishing an Effective Poultry Value Chain

A recurring theme throughout the event was the need to strengthen the fragmented poultry value chain across Africa. The current ecosystem, while dynamic, suffers from inefficiencies and limited collaboration between actors. To address this, the following recommendations were proposed:

  1. Interprofessional Organizations: Support the creation of bodies like Ivory Coast’s IPRAVI, which coordinate key activities across breeding, production, processing, and distribution.
  2. Inclusive Contract Farming: Encourage systems like Kenya’s KPF and Kenchic, which provide farmers with inputs, training, and guaranteed markets, empowering smallholders and improving traceability.
  3. Innovation and Technology: Invest in local feed production, advanced genetics, and digital tools to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and promote sustainability.
  4. Gender Inclusion: Recognize and amplify the role of women in poultry farming, providing access to training and financial resources to address malnutrition and ensure equitable growth.
  5. Long-Term Planning and Education: Expand training programs, such as Ethiopia’s postgraduate poultry medicine initiatives, to address skills gaps and build capacity across the value chain.

Avian Influenza Control

Avian influenza (AI) remains a significant threat to the poultry sector in Africa, hindering investment and growth. The event highlighted pragmatic and innovative strategies to address this challenge:

  1. Epidemiological Monitoring: Establish robust disease surveillance systems to identify circulating strains and assess the burden of disease across regions.
  2. Biosecurity Improvement: Promote farm-level biosecurity measures such as equipment disinfection, isolation protocols, and restricted farm access, alongside farmer training programs to build capacity.
  3. Vaccination Programs: Adopt innovative vaccination strategies, such as the “DIVA” approach in France and hatchery-based vaccinations in Senegal, ensuring comprehensive protection for poultry flocks.
  4. Policy Reform and Collaboration: Foster dialogue between policymakers and private-sector actors to redefine regulatory frameworks, improve disease reporting mechanisms, and encourage the responsible use of vaccines.

Conclusion

The Prevent Event reaffirmed the vital role of partnerships, prevention, and innovation in advancing Africa’s poultry industry. By implementing the recommended measures, stakeholders can establish a resilient poultry value chain and mitigate the risks posed by avian influenza, contributing to sustainable development, food security, and economic empowerment across the continent.

Collaboration in 47 countries.
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