NAIROBI, Kenya- Africa has the tools, knowledge and partnerships needed to eliminate one of its most destructive livestock diseases by 2030, according to Dr Huyam Salih, Director of the African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).
Speaking in Nairobi at the launch of the Continental Advisory Committee for the Eradication of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Dr Salih said the disease remains a major but solvable threat to livelihoods, food security and rural economies across the continent.
“PPR eradication lies at the very heart of our mission,” she said, explaining that AU-IBAR was established to provide technical leadership, coordination and policy guidance in the development of Africa’s animal resources.
PPR mainly affects sheep and goats, animals that millions of African families depend on for food, income and resilience.
Outbreaks can wipe out entire herds, pushing households deeper into poverty and disrupting local and cross-border trade.
“PPR undermines household incomes, erodes food and nutrition security, disrupts markets, and disproportionately affects pastoralists, smallholder farmers, women and youth,” Dr Salih said.
She added that the disease also poses risks beyond farming communities. In shared ecosystems, where domestic animals mix with wildlife, PPR threatens biodiversity, while high animal mobility and cross-border trade allow the virus to continue circulating unless countries act together.
Dr Salih stressed that transboundary animal diseases cannot be tackled by individual countries acting alone.
“These diseases do not respect borders,” she said. “They require coordinated, regional and continental action.”
Despite its impact, PPR is considered one of the few livestock diseases that can realistically be eradicated. Effective vaccines, reliable diagnostics and proven surveillance tools already exist. Africa’s successful eradication of rinderpest more than a decade ago is often cited as proof that such goals are achievable.
“PPR eradication is not an aspiration,” Dr Salih said. “It is an achievable objective.”
To translate political commitment into action, the African Union, working with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), launched the Pan-African Programme for the Eradication of PPR.
The programme is aligned with the global eradication effort and aims to strengthen institutions, harmonise strategies, improve surveillance and vaccination, reinforce laboratories and mobilise long-term financing.
According to Dr Salih, progress has already been made. A Pan-African PPR Secretariat is now operational, regional coordinators have been deployed across Africa’s economic blocs, and countries are updating national strategies and strengthening laboratory networks. Some are preparing for official recognition as PPR-free.
The newly launched Continental Advisory Committee is intended to strengthen governance of the eradication effort.
It brings together political leaders, regional bodies, technical institutions, development partners, researchers, the private sector and civil society.
“Eradication at continental scale requires more than technical tools,” Dr Salih said. “It requires strong governance, political leadership and accountability.”
The committee will help align actions across borders, review progress, advise on priorities and support advocacy and resource mobilisation.
As Africa works toward the 2030 target, Dr Salih said the fundamentals are already in place.
“Africa has the knowledge. Africa has the tools. Africa has the partnerships,” she said. “What we need now is collective commitment to deliver.”
