FG Strengthens Nigeria’s Defence Against Animal Health Emergencies

The Federal Government has rolled out a nationwide training programme for veterinary and epidemiological officers to boost Nigeria’s ability to tackle animal health emergencies more swiftly and effectively.

Source:woah

Organised in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank–assisted Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project, the initiative focuses on equipping participants with the skills to prevent, detect, and respond to disease outbreaks threatening livestock populations.

At the opening ceremony in Abuja, Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, underscored the urgency of quick reporting and coordinated response in disease control. He noted that slow action could turn a local incident into a national crisis, emphasizing that outbreaks in one state can easily spill over to others if not swiftly contained.

The training, themed “Good Emergency Management Practices in Animal Disease Response, Prevention and Control,” is designed to expose federal and state epidemiology officers to modern tools and strategies for outbreak surveillance, planning, and data reporting.

National Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Dr. Sanusi Abubakar, described the effort as part of a broader push to build a resilient animal health system anchored on the globally recognized Good Emergency Management Practices (GEMP) framework. He explained that the approach integrates the “One Health” principle, linking animal health, human health, and environmental safety under a unified response system.

Abubakar added that the workshop seeks to close existing knowledge gaps among veterinary professionals by enhancing their technical competence to design and execute effective emergency preparedness plans. The ultimate goal, he said, is to ensure Nigeria’s veterinary public health system is proactive, well-coordinated, and ready for any outbreak challenge.