Sokoto state government is partnering the African Development Bank (AfDB) to set up ranches and grazing reserves in parts of the state.
This was arrived at during a meeting between the state governor, Aminu Tambuwal and President of the African Development Bank, AfDB, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, in the bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The commissioner for Animal Health, Prof. Abdulkadir Junaidu said the move is to improve livestock farming and curtail the preponderance of banditry and sundry crimes arising therefrom.
Prof. Junaidu, who also briefed the AfDB management team during the meeting, said the project would be achieved through a public-private partnerships with the support of the bank.
The Commissioner explained that the package will include the monitoring and and improvement of the health the livestock and pastoralists, to curtail zoonotic diseases that are akin to the one that heralded COVID-19 outbreak and others worldwide.
According to him, Sokoto state government also discussed cattle breeding program, artificial insemination and embryonic transfer as well as pasture development.
Other issues discussed are: the preservation and enhancement of the breeding of the Sokoto Red goat (listed among global goat breeds known as farm animals of domestic goat (Capra hircus) and small ruminants species), and other livestock for the production of meat and dairy; and, the involvement of women in the whole gamut of these enterprises.
