The Federal Government has announced plans to comprehensively review Nigeria’s National Strategic Plan for the Control and Eradication of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), commonly known as goat plague, in a renewed effort to strengthen disease surveillance, improve livestock health and accelerate the eradication of the highly contagious disease.
The Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria (CVON), Dr. Samuel Anzaku, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja during a two-day workshop convened to review the national strategy for combating PPR.
The workshop was organised by the Pan-African Secretariat for the Eradication of PPR (PAPS) with funding from the European Union through the African Union–Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), PPR is a highly infectious viral disease affecting sheep and goats, with mortality rates of up to 90 per cent among infected animals, making it one of the most devastating livestock diseases in Africa and parts of Asia.
Anzaku said the review of the national strategy would strengthen implementation, improve disease surveillance and monitoring systems, establish updated performance benchmarks and enhance regional coordination within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He explained that the exercise would also ensure that investments by government and development partners translate into measurable, science-based progress towards eliminating the disease nationwide.
According to him, Nigeria remains a priority country in the global PPR eradication campaign because of its large sheep and goat population and the extensive movement of livestock across its borders with Niger, Benin, Cameroon and Chad.
“For us to unlock the true economic and food security potential of our livestock sector, we must systematically eliminate the threat of PPR,” Anzaku said.
Also speaking, the Team Lead of Propcom+, Adiya Ode, described PPR as one of the most economically damaging livestock diseases, noting that its impact extends beyond animal deaths to food security, household incomes, nutrition, employment and rural livelihoods.
She stressed that successful eradication of the disease would significantly improve the productivity and incomes of millions of smallholder livestock farmers, particularly women and young people who depend on sheep and goats for their livelihoods.
Ode noted that the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development reflects the government’s determination to unlock the economic potential of the livestock sector through stronger animal health systems, improved disease surveillance, prevention and control.
She added that Propcom+ remains committed to supporting inclusive, market-based livestock development through investments in veterinary services, vaccination systems, institutional capacity and private-sector participation.
“We also understand that disease outbreaks such as PPR can reverse years of progress, erode household assets and deepen vulnerability among already disadvantaged populations,” she said.
The National President of the Sheep and Goat Development Association of Nigeria (NASHGODAN), Abdullateef Ahmed, commended the Federal Government for prioritising the eradication of PPR.
He reaffirmed the association’s commitment to supporting the national campaign through member mobilisation, vaccination drives, disease surveillance, reporting of suspected cases, livestock identification and traceability, as well as public awareness programmes aimed at improving animal health.
