African leaders and livestock health experts meeting in Nairobi have renewed a continent-wide push to eliminate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a highly contagious disease affecting sheep and goats that continues to deepen poverty for millions of Africans.
The meeting, convened under the African Union’s animal health framework, highlighted PPR as one of the most persistent barriers to food security, rural incomes, and livestock trade across Africa. Despite years of control efforts, the disease still wipes out herds, disrupts cross-border commerce, and undermines livelihoods, particularly in pastoral and smallholder farming communities.
According to the African Union, fresh political momentum is now building to finally eradicate the disease. Leaders pointed to growing commitment from Heads of State, reinforced by the Kampala Declaration, which places animal health at the centre of Africa’s development agenda.
AU-IBAR Director Dr Huyam Salih said the current focus is on securing long-term and sustainable financing to prevent interruptions in vaccination and surveillance campaigns.
“We have strong political backing from African Heads of State through the Kampala Declaration,” she said. “What we are working on now is ensuring sustainable funding so that eradication efforts are not interrupted.”
She added that the African Union is partnering with the European Union while engaging African financial institutions, including the African Development Bank, to mobilise resources for vaccination programmes, disease monitoring, and cross-border coordination.
PPR spreads rapidly, especially in regions where livestock regularly move across borders in search of pasture and water. Experts at the meeting stressed that this mobility makes regional cooperation essential, warning that progress in one country can easily be reversed if neighbouring states lag behind.
Kenya’s Deputy Principal Secretary for Livestock, Dr Joshua Chepchieng, underscored the need for synchronized action.
“You cannot vaccinate in one country and ignore the neighbours,” he said. “It must be done together, across borders, and at the same time.”
The disease disproportionately affects smallholder farmers, pastoralists, women, and young people, for whom goats and sheep are often the primary source of food, income, and financial security. Beyond economic losses, PPR also poses a threat to wildlife in shared ecosystems, raising concerns about biodiversity conservation.
Uganda’s Minister of State for Agriculture, Dr Bright Rwamirama, said the African Union’s coordinated approach offers countries a realistic opportunity to finally eliminate the disease.
Similarly, Nigeria’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Samuel Anzaku, described PPR as a development challenge rather than just a veterinary concern.
“This disease affects livelihoods, stability and development,” he said. “Livestock plays a huge role in lifting people out of poverty.”
A major outcome of the Nairobi meeting was the endorsement of Chad as the continental champion for PPR eradication. The move is expected to strengthen political leadership and accelerate implementation of the Pan-African PPR Eradication Programme.
Chad’s Minister of Livestock and Animal Production, Prof Abderahim Awat Atteib, said his country is ready to lead collective action across Africa.
“Our ambition is clear,” he said. “We want PPR eradication to be an African victory, built on unity, accountability and long-term commitment.”
He called on African governments to increase investment in veterinary services, strengthen cross-border cooperation, and integrate animal health into national development plans.
If successful, experts say eradicating PPR would not only protect livestock but also unlock economic growth, improve food security, and help millions of rural Africans escape poverty—marking one of the continent’s most significant public health and development victories.
