The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Ministers responsible for livestock and pastoral development have called on IGAD member States to adopt the Transhumance protocol and embrace its positive impact it will bring along for the agro-pastoralist and pastoralist community.

The protocol is aimed at guiding member states on ways how pastoralists can move freely, safely, and easily across borders of other member states in search of water and pasture while minimizing the spread of transboundary animal disease.

Through their communique issued on Friday (November 13, 2020) following an Inter-Ministerial Meeting on IGAD Transhumance Protocol and its implementation Roadmap, the ministers also challenged the IGAD Council of Ministers to consider the speedy adoption of the Protocol.

The protocol is an initiative by IGAD states to improve livestock productivity and production in order to improve the livelihood of pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, infrastructure, and social services in the arid and semi-arid areas.

Speaking during the opening of the meeting, Uganda’s State Minister for Animal Husbandry, Bright Rwamirama, said that Uganda supports the IGAD transhumance protocol, and welcomes the deliberations on fast-tracking of its adoption and validation of the draft Implementation Roadmap by the IGAD Technical Experts.

The Roadmap 2021-2030 focuses on achieving full adoption, domestication, and implementation of the Protocol by the Member States.

“I am delighted to inform you that Uganda has prioritized investments to support the protocol by improving security, water infrastructure, animal disease control, livestock trade, and agro-processing along major transhumance corridors,” Rwamirama said.

He urged member states and IGAD to leverage these investments.

Rwamirama revealed that with challenges like climate change, persistent drought, and other severe weather, pastoralists will continue moving with their animals and transhumance cannot be completely wished away in this region.

“This protocol is therefore timely and will give an overarching legal framework to provide orderly movement of animals through well established and demarcated transhumance corridors,” Rwamirama said.

He said that the protocol will also help to alleviate mobility related challenges such as trans-boundary diseases, animal theft, and conflict.

“A safe free movement regime for pastoral communities will be guaranteed and through this protocol, implementation of the other regional cross-border agreements will be accelerated,” Rwamirama said.

Adil Idris, the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Republic of Sudan said they are committed to supporting the implementation of the Transhumance Protocol in the IGAD region.

“We understand that regional pastoral movement to access pasture and water is very key to the very survival of transhumant pastoral communities. So we are ready to see this protocol implemented,” Idris said.

The protocol has 32 articles that member states will be implementing.

The articles include safe cross border transhumance whereby member states shall recognize and allow free and safe seasonal cross-border mobility of livestock and herders in search of pasture and water as an adaptation and survival mechanism, transhumance corridors where transhumant herds and herders shall allow the designated transhumance corridors in accordance with the itinerary indicated on the IGAD transhumance certificates, guarding transhumant livestock, protection of herders among others.

Livestock as a major driver of the region’s economy contributes about 57% of agricultural gross domestic product (AGDP) and supports 70% of pastoral population, in terms of livelihood and employment.

The livestock sector in Uganda contributes 4.4% and 18.3% to the National and Agricultural GDP respectively.

Approximately 90% of the national herd is owned by smallholder farmers mostly lying within the cattle corridor.

The cattle corridor is a rangeland area that stretches diagonally from the Uganda Tanzania border to the South Sudan-Kenya border in the northeast and holds the highest livestock population density.

According to estimates by IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD), the region has 520 million livestock of which 242 million (35%) are small ruminants.

The IGAD region comprises seven Member States, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.