ADDIS ABABA — Ministry of Agriculture has signed a multilateral cross-border Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance animal disease control among Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda and finalized the implementation framework to operationalize the MoU.
A multilateral two-day long meeting between technical teams of Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda was organized by IGAD Center for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) in Entebbe, Uganda last week to develop an implementation framework to operationalize the Memorandum of Understanding on cross border cooperation and coordination on animal health and sanitary measures in IGAD cluster 1 (Karamoja).
The participants expressed commitment to mobilize, in collaboration with IGAD and FAO, the required resources from within the four respective countries and partners to roll out activities contained in the draft implementation framework.
Speaking for The Ethiopian Herald Dr. Gebreyohannes Gebregziabher, State Minister of Agriculture said the MoU will strengthen the four countries’ cooperation and collaboration along their common borders to address animal health issues including disease surveillance, disease prevention & control, sharing of natural resources, diagnostic infrastructure and timely sharing of animal health and trade information.
Moreover, it is also helpful to solve challenges among pastoralists in the four neighboring countries besides creating a good atmosphere of market chain, he asserted. Also, the governments of the countries mentioned above including Ethiopia should start popularizing the signed MoU and implementation framework (IF) to development partners, policymakers, cross border communities and other relevant stakeholders along the livestock value chain for buy-in and support implementation.
The Ethiopian Herald, July 13/2019
BY HIZKEL HAILU
