Cattle

Africa is willing to coordinate policy and trade across borders.

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) convened while AGRA hosted a roundtable at the Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda

Ministers or their representatives from Nigeria, Uganda, Niger, Mali, Malawi, Rwanda and Ethiopia as well as Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, former President of Botswana, participated in the session. The Ministers expressed their desire to collaborate in areas of livestock value chains, unlock investment, expand market and trade, and build partnerships needed to scale livestock solutions across the continent.

The collaboration will address a widening gap between Africa’s potential and its performance. Even after owning a notable portion of the world's resources, Africa has to spend nearly US$100bn on food imports annually. Meanwhile, animal-source foods are the most expensive food group for Africans, for whom healthy diets are the furthest out of reach, with demand projected to grow 280 percent by 2050.

What can be the most promising interventions for improving livestock productivity were discussed at the meeting. Topics included livestock genetics to quality feed and animal health initiatives, as well as what large-scale delivery actually requires, and the conditions needed to move from livestock plans to implementation.

“Clearly Africa doesn’t lack solutions for its livestock sector. What it lacks is scale and productivity. Closing this gap between what Africa produces and what it imports is the key to delivering on the promise of the continent’s $1trillion annual agribusiness potential,” said Appolinaire Djikeng, ILRI Director General. “Today’s commitments show ministers are ready to move from proven innovations to the investment and regional trade that turn them into a continent-wide blueprint for self-reliance.”

“Africa does not lack livestock potential. We do not lack animals. We do not lack farmers. We do not lack science and technical knowledge. We certainly do not lack demand. And, increasingly, we do not lack policy recognition. What we have lacked is the ability to connect all these pieces and deliver at scale. Africa’s livestock priority is no longer recognition. It is delivery,” explained Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, Chair of Council Zimbabwe National University of Science and Technology, extraordinary Professor University of Pretoria, Co-Chair Food Planet Prize.

“We already know what works. The task now is coordinating policy and trade across borders, so proven livestock solutions can scale from one country to a continent. That is what the Integrated Regional Livestock Value Chain program is built to do, and what today’s commitments move us closer to,” said Dr. Huyam Salih, Director of the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).

The organisation arranges for livestock owners customised vaccination.

With a focus on improving agricultural knowledge, including livestock management and generating practical farming information in Nigeria, Green Livestock Africa Limited has announced expansion of its farmer-development and community support programmes

Farmer education remains core to the Rivers State-based livestock organisation by Eromosele Edward Ozah, offering training and free agricultural resources in livestock farming. “Access to practical knowledge helps farmers make better decisions, reduce avoidable losses and improve the productivity of their farms,” the organisation stated.

The areas in which training are offered by Green Livestock Africa include livestock breeding, nutrition, disease prevention and farm management. Its learning resources can also be availed virtually and free of costs.

The organisation’s first documented training cohort consisted of 93 farmers. Impact records show that the group completed training covering breeding, nutrition, disease prevention and farm management. It links training with practical agricultural resources, veterinary support, livestock genetics and health management.

Under its Herd Health Card provision, the organisation arranges for livestock owners customised vaccination and health schedules based on the species and age of their animals. The system covers goats, sheep, cattle and poultry. It shares information on improved livestock genetics and artificial insemination. Its goat breeding programme uses genetics from breeds including Kalahari, Boer and Sahel goats, with breeding details recorded as part of each animal’s records.

The organisation’s community-focused activities are designed to reach beyond farmers and generate youth interest in agriculture.

Cagemax considers quality the key to success. (Image source: Cagemax)

Cagemax from the Netherlands fulfills an important role as supplier of high-quality animal proteins and fats

In recent years, Cagemax hasn’t only grown its own worldwide business, but also its clients in the aquafeed, compound feed, fertilizers, bioenergy and pet food sectors. Growth is an important theme for Cagemax.

Contributing to the healthy development of many animals worldwide through an assortment of proteins and fats. The company is recognised as a flexible partner that easily adapts to both changing legislations and dynamic market demand. Because one thing never changes: the market calls for quality, competitive pricing and optimal delivery reliability.

Reliable

Where the needs remain the same, the dynamics are constantly moving. Cagemax is the stable factor in a market that’s always changing. Constantly deploying its expertise and extensive network to offer a good price and exceptional quality. Logistics have been mastered down to the last detail and proprietary storage and transshipment facilities are in place. Enabling the team to always meet the fluctuating market demand.

Cagemax stays in direct and continuous contact with many manufacturers so they can always offer customers the choice between different qualities and origins. Tailor-made. Not just in its product range, but also in advice.

The experts are always on top of industry trends and know their products like no other.

Dynamic

This knowledge and expertise were initially limited to ingredients for the pet food industry. Over the years, the business has also expanded its scope to the compound feed, aquafeed, fertiliser and bioenergy industries. On the supply side, Cagemax is able to purchase large volumes. On the demand side, customers can count on an attentive service and high-quality raw materials. The company can cope with the dynamics of the market and has thus managed to bind customers worldwide. Because of the understanding that if you want to be irreplaceable, you must continue to distinguish yourself.

Cagemax understands like no other that quality is the key to success and the continuity of the business. That’s why the company is GMP+ certified and operates in full compliance with the HACCP principles and practices.

Every market has its own quality requirements. For the supply of raw materials for the bioenergy industry, Cagemax has been certified to meet the strict ISCC-EU standards with a SKAL-certificate that guarantees that the delivered biological or bio-organic products are produced under the European and production directives.

We stand for constant product quality. That’s why every incoming load is carefully analysed in an accredited laboratory.

With an eye for quality, delivery, reliability, flexibility and the will to think along with relations, Cagemax has grown out to be the biggest supplier of high-quality animal proteins and fats in Europe.

The pilot will serve as a review of the BCG vaccine.

The Ministry of Agriculture in Tunisia has announced a pilot vaccination initiative against bovine tuberculosis to advance animal health and livestock sector

The pilot will serve as a review of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine’s performance under Tunisian farming conditions before it can be rolled out nationally on a wider basis.

Expressing big anticipations from the pilot project, the Ministry believes that the BCG vaccine can effectively reduce the spread of bovine tuberculosis. Officials stressed that vaccination would complement rather than replace existing disease control measures. 

The campaign will focus on epidemiological surveillance, biosecurity, animal movement controls and routine herd testing.

Caused by Mycobacterium, bovine tuberculosis largely impacts cattle, but can also infect people if they came into direct contact with infected animals or consumed contaminated meat or unpasteurised milk.

This vaccination drive will address rising human tuberculosis cases, which are reported to be 1500 annually, with almost 80% responsible for animal transmission, found Tunisia’s Order of Veterinary Surgeons. It is capable of spreading chronic illness, pneumonia, weight loss and death in infected cattle, limiting livestock productivity and affecting the supply of animal products.

In April 2026, veterinary authorities detected six cases of bovine tuberculosis in calves at a municipal slaughterhouse in Sousse, which pointed at the seriousness of the issue in adversely affecting the national cattle population.

The vaccination initiative is part of the government’s wider 2026-2030 livestock recovery strategy to restore cattle and small ruminant herds by improving forage production, digitising livestock monitoring systems and strengthening veterinary services.

The recovery programme will support Tunisia’s cattle, sheep and goat population, which has been seeing sharp decline since 2016 at 30%, going down to approximately 5.94 million head in 2022.

Officials believe that improving disease control will be essential to rebuilding livestock numbers, with successful vaccination potentially reducing losses associated with bovine tuberculosis by limiting the need for widespread culling of infected animals.