© 2017 AU-IBAR. Communique from the Think Tank Meeting on African Ornamental Fisheries Held in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria, at the Chelsea Hotel 31st July -01st August,2017.Introduction

The Think Tank Meeting on African Ornamental Fisheries was held on the 31^st July-1^st August, 2017 at the Chelsea Hotel in Abuja in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The meeting was organized by African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) in collaboration with the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) and Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the support of the European Union (EU).

The overall objective of the meeting was to share experiences (success, failures and obstacles) on the past and ongoing interventions in the sector and develop strategies and action plans for improvement, governance and management of African ornamental fisheries in the context of the Malabo Declaration.

Participation

The meeting was attended by 46 participants representing the 16 African Union Member States: Republics of Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Chad, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, and Zambia; Regional Economic Communities: Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Regional Fisheries Institutions: Nile Basin Initiative/Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NBI/NELSAP), Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA); Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC); Non State Actors; Private sector; Research institutions; Independent Experts; Development Partners Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Also in attendance were staff members from the African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR),NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA).

Continental Meeting on Veterinary Education

 05^th-07^th July 2017, Dakar-Senegal

© 2017 AU-IBAR. Improving Quality of Veterinary Training for Enhanced Veterinary Services and Socio-Economic Development.The First Continental Meeting on Veterinary Education whose theme was "Improving Quality of Veterinary training for enhanced veterinary services and socio-economic development" was held between 05^th to 07^th July 2017 in Dakar, Senegal. The meeting was organized under the aegis of the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the Inter-State School of Veterinary Sciences and Medicine of Dakar (EISMV). It was attended by 105 delegates from 37 African countries. The delegates were Deans or their representatives from Veterinary Education Establishments (VEEs) from 26 countries and Heads of Veterinary Statutory Boards (VSBs) from 33 countries. Other delegates were the Director of AU-IBAR, Prof. Ahmed Elsawalhy and Director General of the EISMV, Prof Kaboret. The meeting was opened by Dr. Khadim GUEYE, representing the Senegalese Minister of Livestock Breeding and Animal Production. The meeting was closed by H. E. Madame Aminata MBENGUE NDIAYE, Minister of Livestock and Animal production.

Objectives of the Meeting

The global objective of the meeting was to contribute to the improvement of veterinary training for enhanced veterinary services and socio-economic development in African Countries. The specific objectives of the workshop were:

• To share information on continental strategic frameworks and other guidelines informing transformation of livestock and agriculture education and training.
• To take stock of the quality of the veterinary education.
• To share knowledge and experiences on the harmonization of veterinary training curricula, the development of accreditation mechanisms to promote the mobility of students and to agree on the way forward.
• To propose a roadmap for the establishment and operationalization of the African Association of Veterinary Education Institutions (2A2E-V).
• To discuss strategies for mobilizing resources for sustaining the activities of the network.

© 2017 AU-IBAR. AU-IBAR Promotes Investments in Livestock Value Chains in Africa - Continental Workshop on Supporting Investments in African Livestock Value Chains.A workshop for continental livestock value chains actors was held in Lusaka, Zambia from 19^th-21^st July 2017. Workshop participants were drawn from a large pool of livestock value chain actors across the continent. The aim was to showcase their success stories such that these can be replicated. Presentations of success stories from various livestock value chain enterprises across the continent were made, covering the nature of business or organization, how long it has been in existence, number of people employed, source of initial investment, reasons for success of the business, markets for the business and market access requirements, government support for the business and ease of getting finance, policies or regulations that facilitate or hinder the business and suggestions for future development of the business. Other organizations that were represented included COMESA, FAO, ILRI, IGAD and UNECA. The workshop was organized by Dr Mphumuzi Sukati, AU-IBAR Senior Policy Officer – Economics, Trade and Marketing. Dr Bruce Mukanda represented AU-IBAR Director while Mr Thierry Kalonji and Dr Yonas Sinkala represented COMESA and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries of Zambia respectively. Some of the key outcomes of the workshop included the need to focus on regional market led livestock value chains and to build trust amongst livestock value chain actors. The inputs from the workshop will assist in the formulation of a continental Livestock Value Chains Investment Strategy.

© 2017 AU-IBAR. Group photo of the participants, AUC Headquarters, 24th July 2017, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Addis Ababa, 24^th July 2017-A 2-day meeting was convened by the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture through its specialized technical office, AU-IBAR to launch the Africa Platform for Animal Welfare (APAW) and the endorsement of the Animal Welfare Strategy for Africa (AWSA) at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters from 24^th-25^th July 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Seventy participants comprising Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) and representatives from Member States (MSs) namely Zimbabwe, Tunisia, DR Congo, Gambia, Senegal, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Chad, Kenya, Tanzania, Togo, Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Madagascar, Nigeria and Burkina Faso; Regional Economic Communities (RECs), IGAD, COMESA, ECCAS and ECOWAS; international organizations FAO and OIE, ILRI, Veterinary Education Establishments, University of Nairobi, Kenya and Dakar School of Veterinary Medicine, Senegal ; animal welfare organizations: Brooke, World Horse Welfare, Donkey Sanctuary, World Animal Protection, Africa Network for Animal Welfare, Pan African Animal Welfare Alliance (PAWA), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW); Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture technical offices of AU-IBAR, AU-PANVAC and AU-PATTEC and a team of consultants attended the meeting.