The African Pastoral Markets Development Platform spotlights the Kenya Meat Expo 2025

The 2025 Kenya Meat Expo provided a timely platform for thought leadership, innovation, and strategic dialogue on the transformation of Africa’s meat value chain. Among the key highlights was the active participation of the African Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) platform, an initiative of the African Union–InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), that leveraged the occasion to champion a stronger role for the private sector in shaping resilient and competitive livestock economies.

During an expert panel discussion, APMD’s Private Sector Engagement Expert, Mohamed Eidle, underscored the importance of safeguarding livestock production as the foundation for delivering high-quality meat for both domestic consumption and export markets. This perspective, he noted, is essential for unlocking the full potential of the meat value chain and ensuring that Kenyan and other African producers are able to meet evolving market demands.

Speaking on policy frameworks, Dr. Makokha highlighted the Animal Production Professional and Technician Bill, currently in draft form, as a transformative regulatory tool aimed at safeguarding both producers and consumers. By focusing on structured regulation of livestock sector actors, the bill seeks to promote systematic change and strengthen accountability across the value chain.

From APMD’s perspective, a recurring challenge has been the critical gap in information sharing and knowledge integration among private sector actors in livestock markets. Despite the livestock sector’s significant contribution to many national GDPs, the absence of coordinated, evidence-driven investment approaches limits its full economic potential. To bridge this gap, APMD is actively curating and disseminating pastoral investment models, case studies, and guidelines designed to guide private sector involvement to unlock sustainable growth.

The discussion further explored the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). With the right enabling policy environment and harmonized policy inconsistencies, including the tariff and non-tariff barriers, and a robust data ecosystem, stakeholders agreed that regional and international markets could open up significantly—making “the cake big enough for everyone,” as noted by Mohamed Elmi.

Civil society voices, including RECONCILE, emphasized the need for a systems-based approach in building producer resilience while advancing peace and security in rangeland areas. Sustainability emerged as a unifying theme, with calls for co-creation of solutions rooted in grassroots realities, participatory rangeland management, inclusion of youth and women, adoption of traceability systems, and stronger market regulations and compliance frameworks.

As the curtains fell on the expert panel, one thing resonated across the board: the transformation of Africa’s meat value chain will depend on collaboration, inclusivity, policy coherence, and investment partnerships that recognize the realities of pastoral production systems. Through platforms like the Meat Expo, and with the leadership of AU-IBAR, Africa’s livestock economies are better positioned to compete, thrive, and contribute to the continent’s broader economic transformation.

At the opening ceremony, the Director of AU-IBAR commended Nation Media Group (NMG), the event organizers, for positioning the Meat Expo as a catalyst and convener for an integrated, resilient meat sector. She applauded APMD’s strategic focus on connecting the emerging markets of West Africa with the dynamic economies of East Africa, highlighting the value of private sector integration in pastoral economic transformation. She also recognized the role of RAFFS in promoting resilient feed and fodder systems and the contributions of the PPR project to safeguarding animal health.

Further deepening the policy lens, Dr. Huyam Salih linked the meat value chain to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) framework, positioning it as central to advancing Africa’s agri-food systems. She tied this vision to the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which aspires to inclusive growth, sustainable development, and prosperity for all Africans.