Africa targets livestock productivity to curb $100bn food import bill as ministers push continent-wide scale-up
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 3-African countries are stepping up efforts to transform livestock production and reduce the continent’s heavy dependence on food imports, with ministers warning that unlocking the sector’s potential…
African nations are intensifying efforts to enhance livestock productivity and diminish the continent’s reliance on food imports, which currently amounts to an estimated $70 billion to $100 billion annually, according to ministers gathered at the Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda. The drive aims to unlock Africa’s $1 trillion annual agribusiness potential by scaling proven livestock innovations, expanding regional markets, and integrating animal-health systems across borders.
Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), stated that although Africa possesses the necessary technologies and knowledge to transform livestock production, the sector lacks scale and productivity. To achieve this, the ministers emphasized the need to move livestock interventions from successful pilots to large-scale national and regional systems, focusing on improved genetics, animal feed, vaccination, and animal-health programs.
Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, representing the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), highlighted that Africa’s primary challenge lies in delivering coordinated interventions at scale, given the abundance of livestock potential, animals, farmers, science, and technical knowledge. Mucai Kunyiha, Group CEO of CKL Africa, urged governments to integrate animal health as a long-term system, rather than reacting to emergency campaigns.
Ethiopia’s experience with its dairy sector, which increased milk production by 122% from 7.1 billion litres in 2022 to 15.7 billion litres in 2025/26, served as a case study. Key factors behind Ethiopia’s success included the establishment of dairy villages and clusters, as well as new cross-border trade agreements. However, the country still faces challenges related to feed availability.
The ministers outlined five priorities for urgent action, including financing, cross-border trade, disease control, improved livestock data, and greater recognition of livestock within national structures and budgets.
The ministers committed to institutionalizing the livestock ministerial platform as a standing political and learning mechanism for implementing the Integrated Regional Livestock Value Chain (IRLVC) program, with progress reported through the African Union’s CAADP Biennial Review. The program, led by AU-IBAR, aims to scale proven livestock solutions across the continent.
Written by urgent.news from Capital FM Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
