With the support from the European Union, AU-IBAR is currently implementing a project “Strengthening the Capacity of African Countries to Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of African Animal Genetic Resources”. The project aims to facilitate and fast track the implementation of the Global Plan of Action (GPA) for sustainable use of AnGR in Africa for which the continent is currently lagging behind. One of the Strategic Priority Areas of the Global Plan of Action (GPA) - characterization, inventory and monitoring of trends in AnGR diversity is the core of the project’s activity through the implementation of one of its key result areas “To establish the status and trends of animal genetic resources in Africa”. It is in this light that, the project aims at publishing the State of AnGR in Africa report as a pioneering report specific to the continent. This report will showcase the Status and trends of AnGR and articulate issues on; Threats to AnGR; existing Policy and institutional frameworks, past and present status of AnGR utilization and management in Africa as well as offer recommendations and best practices. This report being the first of its kind, is envisioned to spur Africa into taking the necessary action to ensure the sustainable utilization and conservation of AnGR and contribute significantly towards eradication of poverty and improvement of livelihoods.

The write-shop was convened by AU-IBAR from the 18th to 20th April 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda. Six reviewers drawn from different parts of the continent and two consultants currently working on the publication of the report attended the write-shop. The overall objective of the write-shop was to enable the reviewers to provide technical and editorial inputs to enrich the draft document especially in terms of its contents’ quality, accuracy, relevance and completeness. The main expected outcome of the write-shop was an enriched document that is technically sound and ready for editorial finalization and publication.

The write-shop was highly successful as the expected outputs were delivered with the production of a more comprehensive, well researched and more inclusive draft report. The reviewers conducted intensive deliberations and analyses of the various sources of information particularly the 1st and 2nd State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources (SoW-AnGR) Country Reports, AU-IBAR questionnaires and other information and data which were then presented in a more systematic manner. In addition, a roadmap was developed to guide the next steps to be undertaken towards the publication of this important report.

The write-shop ended positively with the firm commitment of team of reviewers to work tirelessly towards a document that will be the Africa’s flagship for AnGR.