FG, FAO agree on $350,000 intervention to tackle bird flu outbreak
The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have agreed on a $350,000 emergency intervention to support Nigeria’s response to the ongoing outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, commonly known as bird flu.
The agreement was reached on Thursday during a strategic meeting between the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, and the FAO Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Hussein Gadain, held in Abuja.
As part of the agreement, FAO approved a $350,000 Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) to strengthen Nigeria’s containment efforts across 11 states affected by the avian influenza outbreak.
The intervention will focus on improving disease surveillance, strengthening coordination among animal health institutions, and enhancing rapid response mechanisms to prevent further spread of the disease within the poultry sector.
Officials say the support will also help protect livelihoods dependent on poultry farming while safeguarding food security.
Both parties also agreed to deepen collaboration on strengthening Nigeria’s livestock health systems, particularly efforts to eradicate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a highly contagious disease affecting sheep and goats.
Discussions also highlighted the need to enhance local vaccine production capacity through the National Veterinary Research Institute and strengthen disease preparedness through closer collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The meeting further emphasised expanding cooperation under the One Health framework, which promotes coordinated action across human, animal, and environmental health sectors to better manage zoonotic diseases.
