At the African Food Systems Forum in Dakar, Senegal, thirteen African countries convened for the first-ever ministerial deep dive on livestock, co-hosted by ILRI, AU-IBAR, and GIZ.
The session placed livestock firmly at the centre of Africa’s food systems agenda, recognising its potential to transform food security, livelihoods, and economic growth.
With Africa hosting 85% of the world’s livestock keepers but producing just 2.6% of global milk, ministers acknowledged the urgent need to bridge productivity gaps, reduce dependency on imports, and expand regional cooperation.
Key commitments included scaling up genetic improvement programs, establishing feed banks, promoting youth entrepreneurship, and strengthening crop-livestock integration.
Success stories from Tanzania, Somalia, Uganda, and Mali demonstrated how locally adapted innovations—from digital traceability to mass vaccination—can drive resilience and prosperity.
Ministers agreed to institutionalise annual livestock ministerial sessions to ensure accountability.
As AU-IBAR Director Dr. Huyam Salih noted, putting livestock at the heart of policy is vital for turning subsistence farming into thriving agribusiness, and for millions of African families, it is the pathway “between poverty and prosperity.”
