The VET-GOV Stakeholders Workshop in ECCAS took place at the Okoume Palace in Libreville, Gabon from 3 to 5 July 2012. Participants of ECCAS Member Countries came from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe. Representatives of other organizations such as CEBEVIRHA (Communauté Economique du Bétail, de la Viande et des Ressources Halieutiques) and PROPAC (Plateforme Régionale des Organisations Paysannes de l'Afrique Centrale) also attended the Workshop. Facilitators were the officials of AU-IBAR, headed by the Director Prof. El-Sawalhy, FAO and OIE. The Minister Delegate in charge of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development of Gabon presided over the opening ceremony of the Workshop. ECCAS as the main stakeholder and beneficiary of the VET-GOV Program was involved in the organization and other arrangements which facilitated the holding of this meeting.

Presentations related to the objectives of the workshop, the VET-GOV Program as a whole, the roles of AU-IBAR, FAO and OIE during the implementation of the Program, the current livestock situations in different Member States of ECCAS were made and discussed.

Participants split later on into two group works and discussed:

• The VET-GOV Program and mainly the way forward for the improvement of livestock policies, strategies and veterinary legislation in ECCAS Member States;
• The national livestock and related policies, animal health strategies and veterinary legislation in ECCAS Member States;
• Pilot activities to be carried out in Member States and criteria to be set in order to meet proposal submissions, evaluation, selection, approval as well as implementation.

Following group sessions, recommendations were made, amended and adopted during a plenary session, and then gave way to the closing ceremony of the Workshop.

Signing Ceremony of the MoU and Partnership Agreement between the Director of AU-IBAR Ahmed El-Sawalhy and the Secretary General of ECCAS His Excellency Nassour Guelengdouksia Ouaïdou

It is noteworthy to mention that on the second day of the Workshop the Director of AU-IBAR, accompanied by the Representatives of OIE and FAO, was received in audience by the Secretary General of ECCAS. At this occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Partnership Agreement between ECCAS and AU-IBAR were signed by the two leaders to pave the way for a fruitful relationship between AU-IBAR and ECCAS in various domains of livestock development. A similar audience took place late in the afternoon at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development of Gabon where the Director AU-IBAR with FAO and OIE officials were received by the Minister Delegate. The contribution of AU-IBAR to the development of livestock in Gabon was tabled for discussions.