Africa Animal Health – An Overview
Animal health plays a vital role in Africa’s agricultural economy, public health, and food security. Livestock is a major source of livelihood for millions of people across the continent, providing meat, milk, hides, wool, and draft power. However, the continent faces significant challenges in maintaining and improving animal health due to limited access to veterinary services, widespread endemic diseases, poor infrastructure, and the effects of climate change.
Africa hosts more than 20% of the world's livestock, including cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, and camels. However, productivity remains low compared to global standards, primarily due to diseases that reduce animal lifespan, fertility, and yield. Common diseases include foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), African swine fever (ASF), contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), and Newcastle disease in poultry. Additionally, zoonotic diseases—those transmissible from animals to humans—such as Rift Valley fever, rabies, and brucellosis, pose serious public health threats.
One of the critical barriers to animal health in Africa is the shortage of veterinary professionals and para-veterinarians, especially in rural and remote areas. Many farmers rely on informal or traditional treatment practices, which may be ineffective or harmful. Veterinary infrastructure such as diagnostic laboratories, cold chain facilities for vaccines, and animal health surveillance systems are underdeveloped or poorly funded in many regions.
The continent also faces challenges related to transboundary animal diseases, which spread across national borders and require regional cooperation for effective control. Poor border controls, nomadic pastoralism, and livestock trade increase the risk of disease outbreaks. In addition, climate change is altering the distribution of disease vectors like ticks and mosquitoes, leading to the emergence or re-emergence of diseases in previously unaffected areas.
To address these challenges, several national and international organizations have launched initiatives to improve animal health in Africa. The African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) plays a central role in coordinating animal health strategies and policies. Programs like the Pan-African Programme for the Control of Epizootics (PACE) and the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) have supported disease monitoring, vaccination campaigns, and capacity building.
Private sector involvement, public-private partnerships, and investment in veterinary pharmaceutical supply chains are also key to scaling up access to animal health products and services. Mobile technology is increasingly being used to disseminate veterinary information, report outbreaks, and link farmers to veterinary services.
Improving animal health in Africa is crucial not only for increasing livestock productivity and farmer incomes but also for enhancing food security, reducing poverty, and protecting human health. A “One Health” approach—which integrates human, animal, and environmental health—is essential for effective disease prevention and control in the African context.