By Atoyebi Nike
African ministers of livestock and agriculture have pledged sweeping reforms to transform food and nutrition security by placing livestock and animal-sourced foods (ASFs) at the heart of the continent’s food systems.
The commitments were made during the first ministerial deep dive on livestock at the African Food Systems Forum in Dakar, co-hosted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), AU-IBAR, and GIZ, with 13 countries participating.
Despite hosting 85% of the world’s livestock keepers, Africa produces just 2.6% of global milk and spends $50 billion yearly on food imports. With demand for meat projected to triple and milk demand to double by 2050, ministers stressed urgent action to increase productivity.
Key commitments include establishing feed banks, strengthening regional markets, scaling youth-led livestock enterprises, expanding genetic improvement programs, and holding annual livestock ministerial meetings for accountability.
ILRI’s Director General, Appolinaire Djikeng, said scaling regional solutions will deliver a “triple win” meeting demand, improving farmer livelihoods, and ensuring sustainability. Models from Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, and Mali were showcased as successful pathways for growth.
