3rd WORKSHOP ON HARMONISATION OF NATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR TSETSE CONTROL-ERADICATION.pdf

Animal resources are important in the economic development of African countries. Africa hasa wide variety of animal resources with an estimated livestock population of 224 millioncattle, 447 million sheep and goats and about 34 million equines and camels. With an annualoutput value of US$13.3 billion of meat and US$5.3 billion of milk, livestock contributeabout 36% of Africa's agricultural gross domestic product.Of: all the sub-regions of the world. Africa is the continent where production of livestockproducts has the greatest potential to improve. It is also the continent where consumption isgrowing at a faster rate than any other, spurred-on by a rapidly rising human population,rising income levels and falling market prices of livestock products. In recent years domesticproduction of livestock products has increased slowly, allowing the deficit between supplyand demand to increase. It is estimated that in Sahelian Africa where production of red meatcurrently satisfies 56% of the total consumption, this will just cover 36% of the needs in2020. The deficit will be imported, leading to an annual loss of US$1.5 billion in foreignexchange on imports of meat and milk atone. It is estimated that the human population in sub- Saharan Africa will be 1.3 billion by the year 2025 and that an estimated 19 million tons ofmeat and 43 million tons of milk will be required annually to feed Africa's population.Through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) initiative, African leadershave recognized the importance of animal resources to the economic development of Africancountries, and have committed themselves to the highest leve]s, to achieve sustainabledevelopment in this sector. In support of the NEPAD initiative, African heads of state andGovernment, meeting in Durban South Africa in July 2002, inscribed in the African Union(AU) Constitutive Act among others, the objective to promote sustainable development at theeconomic, social and cultural levels.....and to establish the necessary conditions which enablethe continent to play it's rightful role in the global economy and international negotiations.Over the past 50 years, the Inter African Bureau for Animal Resources (IBAR) has beenworking to develop the animal resources of Africa and stands at the forefront for theimplementation of the AU and NEPAD Initiatives.