Consultation workshop in Ethiopia on participatory, community-based Newcastle disease control in village chickens

Designing sustainable community-based Newcastle disease (ND) control programs at regional level was the main topic of a two-day consultation workshop held in Ethiopia on 13–14 January. Representatives from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Resource, and from Amhara, Oromia, SNNP Regions, AU-PANVAC, Kyeema and NGOs attended. This workshop was part of the Kyeema and AU-PANVAC effort to expand sustainable ND programs across Africa Union member states.

Participants from the Federal Ministry and each region presented the situation of ND and its challenges. Three ND control experts from Nigeria (Dr Joannis Tony Bala), Mozambique (Dr Rosa da Costa) and Tanzania (Dr Bitanyi Stella Stephen) presented their experience of Community Vaccinator models in their respective countries. The Ethiopian participants then formed groups to discuss ND control options and came up with suggested ways of having sustainable ND programs in their respective regions.

The workshop provided an excellent opportunity for networking and sharing of challenges associated with ND prevention at grass roots level.

The event was organised and funded by The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Resource in Ethiopia (through World Bank), ILRI and Kyeema (with funding from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program).

We are very grateful to all who contributed to the success of the workshop.