Pan-African Prgramme for the Control of Epizootics concluded

Nairobi, 6 Sept 2007 - With an official handover the Pan-African Programme for the Control of Epizootics (PACE) concluded today. Altogether the seven-year programme had trained more than two million veterinarans, vet students and community health workers in 32 countries.

At the ceremony the European Commission Delegation handed over the programme's assets to IBAR. The final achievements of the programme in the area of livestock development were presented in the light of their sustainability.

Background

PACE had been a major livestock development programme for the establishment of effective surveillance systems for animal diseases in 32 sub-Saharan countries. The European Commission had funded the programme with Euro 77 million.

The programme had been uniquely designed to meet beneficiaries’ requirements, country needs and global priorities in terms of control of rinderpest and other major epizootic diseases of livestock.

PACE's implementation met the following objectives

• Establishment of epidemio-surveillance systems networks in the programme countries
• Strenghtened delivery of veterinary services
• Final rinderpest eradication in Africa
• Control of major animal epizootic diseases such as African swine fever, Rift Valley Fever, CBPP, FMD.