APMD Launch a Platform to Boosting Africa’s Pastoral Economy and Sustainability
The African Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) Platform was officially launched on Friday at Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel in Nairobi, marking a pivotal moment in the continent’s efforts to enhance pastoralism and livestock markets.
The launch event, attended by various dignified stakeholders, was graced by the presence of Hon. Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Nigeria’s Minister of Livestock Development, who is also the African Union-Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) Director,underscored the importance of this initiative for Africa’s economic growth.
This trans formative four-year pan-African initiative is poised to foster market-driven, adaptive transformations within pastoralism, playing a key role in Inclusive Agricultural Transformation across Africa.
“The APMD Platform is a critical step in re-imagining pastoralism across Africa, empowering communities and driving economic transformation.By integrating pastoral communities into sustainable livestock markets, we are laying the foundation for a more resilient and prosperous future,”said Maiha.
The APMD Platform, launched with the vision of strengthening Africa’s pastoral sectors, is designed to strategically promote market-driven interventions.
It aims to integrate pastoral communities into livestock markets and create a dynamic, inclusive agricultural ecosystem which will facilitate coordinated actions across three core pillars and three cross-cutting lenses.
“The APMD Platform is a beacon of hope for pastoral communities across Africa. It will help unlock the full potential of the sector by addressing critical barriers such as limited market access and lack of value addition,”noted Maiha.
Kenya and Nigeria are playing a leading role as Lighthouse Countries for the APMD Platform, with both nations set to share innovative solutions for regional integration and economic growth.
The initiative will be guided by three core pillars aimed at addressing critical challenges within the pastoral livestock sector.These include focusing on strengthening the enabling policy on environment and ensuring strategic implementation, creating the necessary conditions for sustainable growth.
The second pillar emphasizes on enhancing private sector integration in pastoral livestock markets, promoting greater involvement and investment from businesses to support the sector’s development, and the third pillar is dedicated to strengthening and expanding functional data ecosystems, enabling better access to data and information that can drive informed decision-making and improve market efficiency.
“Kenya and Nigeria are positioned as forerunners in the drive towards sustainable pastoral systems.These nations are key players in advancing the goals of the APMD Platform, setting a precedent for the entire continent,”Dr. Salih added.
In addition to its core pillars, the APMD Platform incorporates three cross-cutting lenses focused on promoting social equity and environmental sustainability. These include empowering women and youth in pastoral communities, improving the availability, access, and affordability of nutritious, quality food, and enhancing climate resilience and adaptation in pastoral and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) regions.
The launch of the APMD Platform signals the beginning of a new chapter for Africa’s pastoral communities. As stakeholders collaborate to drive the initiative forward, the platform promises to be a catalyst for inclusive economic growth, climate adaptation, and regional integration.
Through the combined efforts of governments, the private sector, and international organizations, the APMD Platform aims to reshape the future of Africa’s pastoral livestock sector by ensuring that no one is left behind as the continent advances towards sustainable, inclusive agricultural transformation.
