IGAD transhumance protocol endorsed

In November 2020, the Council of agriculture ministers from the eight Members States (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) endorsed a protocol on transhumance to facilitate cross-border movement of pastoralists and their herds. The process of drawing up the protocol was informed by the African Union’s “Policy Framework for Pastoralism in Africa”. The agreement is designed to maximise the economic potential of pastoralism while minimising the risks of animal disease. IGAD also hopes that the regulation of pastoral movement will help prevent or mediate conflict through marking of transhumance routes.

Extensive animal production makes a major contribution to national economies in the IGAD region (between 16% and 60” of the GDP of the Member States), and more than 70% of the people depend on livestock for livelihoods and employment. Now comes the challenge of making the protocol widely known and implemented in a fair manner.

See also the news item in The Independent.

Posted on 22 December 2020 in General Policy Documents, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition