Livestock Ministry Sets Up Technical Working Group to Tackle Newcastle Disease

The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, in partnership with the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicine (GALVmed), has inaugurated a National Technical Working Group to develop a National Strategy for the control of Newcastle disease in Nigeria. Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, Permanent Secretary Dr. Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi said the initiative is the country's first coordinated national effort to address the disease through a structured and evidence-based approach.

Represented by the Director of the Project Coordination Unit, Dr. Adedoyin Adeniyi, Akujobi said Newcastle disease remains one of the biggest threats to poultry production, causing heavy economic losses, reducing farmers' incomes and affecting food security. She said the Technical Working Group will produce a national strategy covering disease prevention, surveillance, vaccination, biosecurity, rapid response and long-term control.

The Permanent Secretary said previous control efforts lacked a national framework, leading to poor coordination and inefficient use of resources. She added that the strategy will strengthen cross-border collaboration, improve veterinary services, support training for vaccine delivery personnel and poultry farmers, and promote wider adoption of biosecurity measures. She also reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to working with organisations including ECOWAS, AU-IBAR, NEPAD, FAO and other partners.

Director of Animal Health and Reproductive Services, Dr. Mitchell Alao, described the exercise as a major step for Nigeria's animal health sector. Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Yakubu Yanet Ago said Nigeria has an estimated poultry population of 640 million, with village chickens playing a key role in food security, nutrition and household income. Representatives of GALVmed, the Nigerian Association of Animal Health and Husbandry Technologists, the National Veterinary Research Institute and the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association pledged continued support for efforts to control Newcastle disease.