Tamale, Jan 20, GNA – Alhaji Mohammed Hardi Tuferu, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture in-charge of Livestock, has called on member countries to respect the ECOWAS protocols on free movement of animals across the sub-region.
He said that would ensure peace within the sub-region while boosting trade to create jobs for the people and reduce meat importation to the sub-region.
He was not happy that some countries within the sub-region including Benin and Ivory Coast refused to respect ECOWAS protocols on free movement of animals saying this was not good for effective cooperation.
He emphasised that “We must respect the protocols. So, to decide to disrespect the protocols is to disturb the system, which affects the entire sub-region. So, we need to work together as sister countries to allow movement of animals across the sub-region to boost trade and ensure peace to create jobs and reduce meat importation.”
Alhaji Tuferu made the call when addressing a workshop on agropastoralism in the cross-border area of Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo: dialogue and consultation for coordinated resource management.
The two-day workshop, which ended in Tamale on Thursday, formed part of the Project to Support Livestock Mobility for Better Access to Resources and Markets in West Africa (PAMOBARMA), and the Reinforce Social Cohesion in the Cross-border territories-Ghana, Burkina Faso (SAPSOC) project.
The PAMOBARMA is being co-financed by the European Union and the French Development Agency while the SAPSOC is being financed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom, and both projects are being implemented by a host of governmental and non-governmental organisations within the West African sub-region.
The workshop, which was attended by representatives from governmental and non-governmental organisations working in the agropastoral sector in Ghana, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso, showcased the work of the existing inter-municipal authorities and the possibilities for cross-border consultation on critical issues key to the smooth functioning of the sector.
It also focused on the institutional anchoring of activities and legal basis for the creation of inter-municipalities, the positive impacts of the sector for the economic development of rural host communities as well as the current situation in the territory, the security challenges and their impact on the pastoral sector.
Participants also identified the challenges faced by the sector and how they could be addressed through cross-border consultation.
Alhaji Tuferu said the country was working to establish grazing reserves advising against bush burning to ensure availability of pastures for animals to graze.
Mr Osman Abdel-Rahman, Executive Director of Ghana Developing Communities Association, an NGO implementing the PAMOBARMA in Ghana, shed more light on the workshop saying “It is to discuss the issue of how we can coordinate the management of resources regarding agropastoralism because we know that in West Africa we have systems of mobility of livestock from upper parts of the sub-region to the down to seek pastures and water resources.”
Mr Abdel-Rahman said “So, it has become important and we want to focus on it; see how we can collaborate across borders to see how we can manage these resources effectively and in a way that we can all benefit.”
He said “What we have tried to do is to, first of all, within this context, set up the inter-municipality concept; that means that we are looking at a number of municipalities; in this case we are looking at MMDAs; how those that are close to each other can work with each other to create an entity that can manage the resources that are within their territories so that we can all benefit from it.
The resources include; the livestock markets, water facilities, corridors meant for mobility of the livestock, grazing reserves amongst others.”
He added that “If different MMDAs, which are close to each another, are able to coordinate to put up an entity that can jointly manage the resources within their territories, we stand to benefit a lot.”
He, therefore, expressed need for member countries to ratify the ECOWAS protocols on free movement of animals and comply with them to ensure effective cooperation in the context of agropastoralism.
Annabelle Powell, Programme Manager of Acting for Life, a French organisation, which is coordinating partners in large consortiums in multi-country regional projects regarding agropastoralism in West Africa, touched on security in the agropastoral sector saying “It is important to remind ourselves that the knee jerk reaction to insecurity is the reduction of mobility-the cornerstone of agro-pastoralism.”
She said “This reaction strongly penalized herders and the overall functioning of this critical system and in doing so, it reduced the positive impacts of the sector itself.”
She said “This will certainly be a critical issue in the months and years to come: How, despite security issues, can we maintain a mobility that allows for the sector to function and therefore the socio-economic development of the local communities?
GNA