Stakeholders Urge More Investment To Boost West Africa’s Livestock Sector

Stakeholders in the livestock and pastoralism sector have advocated for diligent policy implementation, increased investment and stronger regional collaboration to transform pastoral mobility into a driver of economic growth, food security and regional integration in West Africa.

They spoke at the close of the Continental Learning Forum on Market-linked Transhumance Models in West Africa, held recently in Abuja. It was organised by the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).

In a closing remark on behalf of the director of AU-IBAR, Dr Huyam Salih, the policy pillar lead for African Pastoral Markets Development (APMD), Prof. Ahmed Elbeltagy, said the forum underscored the need to view pastoral livestock mobility as a strategic asset when properly governed and linked to markets.

He said that discussions at the forum revealed that the sector’s key challenge was not the absence of frameworks, but rather the need to translate existing commitments into coordinated, well-resourced and operational systems.

According to Elbeltagy, the participants reviewed gaps in the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Transhumance Protocol and shared lessons from the IGAD region on digital traceability, cross-border animal health cooperation and harmonised mobility management.

He said the exchanges highlighted the importance of cross-regional learning and integrated, corridor-based approaches to livestock mobility.

He noted that the forum shifted attention from policy compliance to economic opportunities, with emphasis on market access, private sector participation, infrastructure development and financial services as pathways for transforming transhumance corridors into viable economic corridors.

Elbeltagy said progress was made towards developing the 2026–2028 Market-linked Transhumance Roadmap, adding that the Regional Partnership Matrix agreed at the meeting would require sustained collaboration at national, regional and continental levels.

In an interview, a livestock expert from Cameroon and the ECCAS region, Baschirou Moussa Demsa, said pastoralists provide food for millions across Africa but remain marginalised. He called on governments to review existing policies and enact legislation that would attract investment into the system.

Also, ECOWAS programme officer for Livestock Development, Pastoralism and Transhumance, Dr Jimmy JohnMark, said the forum helped the participants understand both shared and country-specific challenges, identifying climate change, insecurity and policy gaps as major concerns.

The deputy director, Department of Ranch and Pastoral Resources at the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Mr Ibrahim Umar Wali, said Nigeria’s livestock sector is valued at over N33 trillion and stressed the need for increased private sector participation to unlock its economic potential.