The Gwale Veterinary Reference Laboratory in Kano state will soon launch a collaboration with the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano, to achieve the concept of One Health.
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach to balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and the environment.
The State Project Coordinator, Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project, KSADP, Malam Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, explained that the institutions would collaborate to achieve better public health outcomes.
The KSADP Coordinator disclosed this during the launch of a mop up of annual Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, CBPP and Peste des Petits Ruminants, PPR, livestock vaccination campaign at Kwanar Gurjiya, Dawakin Kudu local government area of Kano state.
Funded by the Islamic Development Bank, IsDB, the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, LLF, and the government of Kano state, the Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project, constructed the Gwale Veterinary Reference Laboratory and funds annual livestock vaccination to promote animal and human health in Nigeria’s most populous state.
“In the past three years, we have vaccinated over three million livestock in Kano and that is a high point. The vaccination, which is conducted free, is an effective way to protect the animals from diseases and prevent the transfer of the diseases to human beings”, he stated.
Malam Ibrahim highlighted that his project has embarked on several initiatives to improve the livelihoods of pastoralists including the construction of 100 milk collection centers, pasture development at Dansoshiya Grazing Reserve, engagement of 220 Community Animal Health Workers and upgrading of the Artificial Insemination Centre at Kadawa, among other things.
“We are waiting for clearance from the government to start the demarcation of 1, 950 kilometers of stock route across the state and this will be a significant step towards ending recurrent farmers-herdsmen conflict and related problems”, Malam Ibrahim added.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, of Kano State Ministry of Agriculture, Malam Sadi Ibrahim, expressed appreciation to KSADP for providing the necessary financial support towards the success of the livestock vaccination hoping the trend will be maintained.
The leader of the Fulani Community at Gurjiya, Malam Ahmadu Canji praised the IsDB/LLF project in Kano for the innovative approach to pastoralists’ issues, advising the project to commence its scheduled stock rout demarcation before the onset of the next rainy season, to avert possible farmers-herdsmen conflict in some communities.
