Creation of gene banks for animal resources underway

The federal government has said it is set to create banks to conserve the country’s local animal genetics.

This follows the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR) to promote the sustainable management of animal genetic resources adopted at the first International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture which was held in Interlaken, Switzerland, since 2007.

Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) spearheaded the domestication of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources Management, which was developed and adopted by member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to promote the wise management of animal genetic resources and serve as a framework for international cooperation on AnGR.

SPONSOR AD

Speaking at the launching of the Nigerian National Action Plan on Animal Genetic Resources Management and inauguration of members of the advisory committee in Abuja on Tuesday, Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, also stated that Nigeria must learn from the failure of other countries that have lost their animal resources.

“In my investigations, I’ve discovered that there are one or two countries in Africa today that have lost their indigenous genetics, and they are ever regretting that. We are going to learn from that and create gene banks to conserve our genetic resources. This we must aggressively pursue,” the minister stated.

Maiha said this localisation is vital to bridging existing gaps in technical capacity, stakeholder coordination, and long-term planning for the management of animal genetic resources, adding that it would also ensure meaningful involvement of scientific communities, civil society organisations, and private sector actors.

He said it was in line with this international directive that the L-PRES, a project under the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, supported the formulation of Nigeria’s national strategy and action plan for AnGR, developed with guidance from FAO protocols and enriched through consultations with critical stakeholders, and the plan has been thoroughly reviewed and validated.

“It is with great pleasure that I am informing you today that the national strategy and action plan on animal genetic resources for Nigeria has been formally approved for implementation by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, an action that reflects our resolve to transform the livestock sector in alignment with global best practices,” he said.

The National Project Coordinator for the L-PRES, Dr Sanusi Abubakar, spoke on why it became necessary at this point to adopt the strategy.

He said, “From 18th November to 22nd November 2024, a delegation drawn from the defunct Department of Animal Husbandry Services and L-PRES was at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, to participate in the Global National Coordinators’ workshop and the 13th regular session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on AnGR.

“One shocking observation in this session was that Nigeria was seated as an observer, while other African countries were delegates.

 “This was believed to be because of not living up to the obligations of the Interlaken declaration and Global Plan of Action on AnGR, which we signed and adopted,” he said.

Nigeria’s next step is to officially forward the Nigerian national strategy and action plan on animal genetic resources and the list of the national coordinator and national advisory committee members to the Food and Agriculture Organisation to deepen discussions for sustainable domestication of GPA and implementation of the AnGR.