FG targets eradication of sheep, goat disease by 2030

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The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating Peste des Petits Ruminants, a highly contagious viral disease affecting sheep and goats, by 2030, saying intensified surveillance, vaccination and cross-border collaboration remain central to achieving the target.

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The assurance was given by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Chinyere Akujobi, at the opening of a two-day Stakeholders’ Workshop on the Review and Update of Nigeria’s National Strategic Plan for the Control and Eradication of Peste des Petits Ruminants in Abuja.

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The Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations at the ministry, Henrietta Okokon, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

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Akujobi described the eradication of PPR as both an animal health priority and a national development goal, noting that eliminating the disease would reduce poverty, improve rural livelihoods, increase livestock productivity and expand trade opportunities.

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According to her, “Nigeria has remained fully committed to the global goal, under the leadership of the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health, to eradicate PPR by 2030.

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“We have implemented a range of interventions, including disease surveillance, laboratory strengthening, outbreak investigations, targeted vaccination campaigns, stakeholder engagement, and capacity-building programmes aimed at reducing the burden of PPR while improving disease reporting and response systems.”

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She said small ruminants serve as the primary economic safety net for millions of households, making their protection critical to the Federal Government’s agricultural transformation agenda.

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Akujobi noted that PPR remains one of the most economically devastating transboundary diseases affecting sheep and goats across Africa, Asia and parts of the Middle East.

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“This disease continues to threaten livelihoods, reduce household incomes and constrain the growth of the livestock sector. Given that Nigeria has Africa’s largest population of small ruminants, estimated at over 200 million sheep and goats, and shares major transboundary trade corridors with Niger, Benin, Cameroon and Chad, strengthening our control measures is imperative,” she said.

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She explained that the workshop was convened to develop an evidence-based National Strategic Plan for 2026–2030 that would integrate veterinary services with cross-border trade standards and risk mitigation policies.

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Akujobi also commended development partners, regional technical organisations and national experts for supporting efforts to eliminate the disease, adding that the ministry would prioritise a fully costed implementation plan backed by a sustainable resource mobilisation strategy.

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The statement also quoted the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Samuel Anzaku, as saying the country had made significant progress in animal disease control but needed to update its National Strategic Plan to align with the Global PPR Eradication Programme, the Performance Monitoring and Assessment Tool roadmap benchmarks and ECOWAS regional coordination mechanisms.

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According to him, the revised strategy should incorporate recent epidemiological and laboratory data, refine disease hotspot mapping, adopt risk-based vaccination strategies and strengthen laboratory-epidemiology linkages.

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“This structural update is vital to advancing Nigeria into PMAT Stage 2 and beyond, ensuring that every public and private investment delivers measurable scientific progress towards achieving a PPR-free nation,” he said.

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Also speaking, the representative of the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources, Dr Perdita Hilary Lopes, described the eradication of PPR as a strategic investment in resilient livestock systems, poverty reduction, women’s economic empowerment, youth employment, sustainable rural development and improved food systems across Africa.

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She added that achieving a PPR-free Africa by 2040 would contribute significantly to the aspirations of Agenda 2063, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme and the Sustainable Development Goals.

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The renewed push follows earlier efforts by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development to strengthen Nigeria’s campaign against PPR. In January, the ministry inaugurated a 33-member National Technical Working Group on the control and eradication of the disease to coordinate national response efforts.

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At the time, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, described PPR as one of the most devastating transboundary animal diseases affecting sheep and goats, warning that it threatens the livelihoods of pastoralists and smallholder farmers, undermines food security and limits livestock trade.

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Nigeria’s eradication drive aligns with the global campaign led by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health to eliminate PPR by 2030. As part of the regional effort, Abuja hosted a West African surveillance workshop in December 2025, where veterinary authorities and technical experts reviewed risk-based surveillance and cross-border coordination strategies aimed at accelerating progress towards the eradication target.

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