The Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project, KSADP, says it will spend about N160 million to vaccinate 1.8 million goats and sheep in its livestock vaccination campaign in different parts of the state.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Ameen Yassar, the Project Communication Specialist, in charge of the project in Kano on Wednesday.
Yassar said that the project was being funded by the Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihood Funds, aimed at enhancing livestock health and improve livelihoods of herders and livestock breeders.
The statement added that the Project Coordinator, KSADP, Malam Ibrahim Muhammad, disclosed these during the kick-off of community sensitization to the exercise in Kura, near Kano.
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” The project is determined to upscale the vaccination because livestock health is tied to your livelihoods, and by extension our economy.
“The objective of this interaction is to enhance vaccination and to seek cooperation of all stakeholders so that the exercise succeeds,” he added.
Muhammad said the organization had embarked upon several projects, including the upgrade and equipping of Kadawa Artificial Insemination Centre, construction of milk collection centres, upgrade of cattle markets and crop residue utilization Programme, to improve the livelihood of the herders.
“We shall soon award contract for demarcation of stock routes in Kano, which is major step towards ending conflict between farmers and herders in Kano,” he said.
The District Head of Kura, represented by Alhaji Balarabe Muhammad, disclosed that no outbreak of livestock diseases had been reported in the area in the past three years due to consistent vaccination carried out by the KSADP.
He therefore directed village heads and herders’ community leaders in his domain to fully mobilise for the forthcoming vaccination in view of its importance.
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In his comments on behalf of herders’ communities in Kura Local Government Area, Malam Zubairu Muhammad said they were familiar with livestock vaccination, having benefitted in the past three years, assuring that there would be no resistance to the exercise.
“We have seen the impact of the vaccination conducted in the past, so we appreciate the Islamic Development Bank and the LLF for their untiring support,” he said.
Also, the Zonal Veterinary Director for Rano Zone, Dr. Idris Ibrahim, who underscored the importance of the vaccination, suggested that livestock vaccination campaign should include rabies vaccination, since the herders also possessed livestock guard dogs.