Abuja: The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) has unveiled an initiative to vaccinate 1.4 million animals in 2025, aiming to enhance disease prevention measures and promote both animal and public health. The announcement was made by Sanusi Abubakar, the National Project Coordinator (NPC) of L-PRES, during a five-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for animal health officers in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the workshop, themed ‘Biosecurity, Herd Health, Udder Health, and Integrated Pest Control Management,’ was designed to equip participants with the necessary technical knowledge to effectively deliver animal healthcare services at the grassroots level. Abubakar highlighted that this training is part of broader efforts by the World Bank-supported project to enhance biosecurity and prevent disease outbreaks within livestock populations nationwide.
The workshop drew participants from 20 states where the project is currently operational, as well as from the national office. These participants are expected to replicate the training at the local level to strengthen animal health services. Abubakar emphasized the importance of adhering to global standards, given that L-PRES is a World Bank project.
He stated that the project is investing in infrastructure, including veterinary hospitals, making it crucial to prevent diseases before they occur through biosecurity measures. Abubakar encouraged trainees to view the programme as a strategic effort to ensure the knowledge gained is passed on to livestock farmers, also known as livestock value chain operators.
Participants in the ToT are expected to simplify technical concepts for farmers, making practices easy to understand and adopt. The training covers key areas such as udder health management, farm biosecurity, integrated pest management, and overall herd health. These topics were selected to address challenges encountered within livestock value chains in various state clusters.
Abubakar emphasized that significant efforts are being made under L-PRES to reduce morbidity and mortality in livestock due to disease outbreaks, aligning with the value chain priorities of participating states.
