Livestock: CILSS seeks to reduce insecurity in the Sahel and West Africa

Agriculture
Thursday, 15 September 2022 14:30
Livestock: CILSS seeks to reduce insecurity in the Sahel and West Africa

(Togo First) - Last Monday, Sept 12, representatives from member countries of the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) gathered in Lomé to find solutions to the growing insecurity in the Sahel and West Africa. The talks focused on husbandry and conflicts between farmers and breeders. 

The theme picked for the meeting – CILSS’ 37th Day – was “Livestock in the face of insecurity in the Sahel and West Africa”.

During the meeting, regional actors of the agropastoral sector urged decision-makers and development partners of the Sahel and West Africa to help the regions better tackle the issues faced by husbandry and pastoralism. 

"It is essential to seek solutions and lay the foundations for forward-thinking on the future of livestock systems amidst the ongoing change," said Otchotcho Kokou, Permanent Secretary of the National Committee of CILSS-Togo.

Actions that have been already taken to reduce insecurity in the sectors concerned were also reviewed at the meeting. These include the Regional Dialogue and Investment Project for Pastoralism and Transhumance in the Sahel (PREDIP) and the Economic and Social Development Project (PDES), which are supported by ECOWAS, the African Development Bank (ADB), and the World Bank.

According to the CILSS, around 80 million people in West Africa earn money by rearing livestock. In Togo, the activity contributed 16.5% of the agricultural GDP and over 6.7% of its national GDP in 2017. The figures were disclosed in an FAO report titled Review of the livestock/meat and dairy value chains and the policies influencing them in West Africa.

Esaïe Edoh 

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