In a groundbreaking initiative poised to revolutionise the pastoral livestock marketing landscape, the African Pastoral Market Development Platform (APMD) has officially launched under the auspices of the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR). The platform’s stakeholders’ inception workshop and official launch aimed to establish its operational framework, validate strategic approaches, secure stakeholder commitments and formally kick-start the initiative.
This strategic project marks a major step toward modernising traditional livestock marketing by fostering an enabling policy environment, enhancing private sector participation and improving data ecosystems to inform decision-making and planning for all stakeholders and beneficiaries.
In response to the challenges posed by climate change, pastoral communities are reimagining their value chains. Director of AU-IBAR, Dr. Huyam Salih highlighted the APMD’s role in integrating climate resilience with market development.
She emphasised the platform’s potential to turn climate challenges into opportunities: “Climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities, necessitating a more coordinated, resilient, and innovative response. Against this backdrop, the APMD Platform emerges as a game-changer.” The initiative weaves climate adaptation strategies into every aspect of livestock marketing, enhancing both pastoral systems’ resilience and market performance.
Director of animal husbandry services at Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Winnie Lai underscored the transformative potential of the platform, particularly for women and youth, who are central to livestock marketing. “It’s unfortunate that gender inclusivity is often treated as a cross-cutting issue when, in reality, women and youth are at the heart of livestock marketing. For example, youth play a critical role in ensuring the sustainability of the livestock sector,” she remarked.
Lai further stressed the importance of women in driving pastoral economic ecosystems and agricultural development, aligning with the initiative’s broader socio-economic objectives. The APMD initiative adopts a holistic approach to market development, recognising that sustainable transformation requires empowering historically marginalised groups.
As the APMD initiative gains momentum, it stands as a testament to the power of collaborative and inclusive approaches in livestock market systems. By transforming pastoral production systems into sustainable, market-oriented enterprises, APMD contributes significantly to food security, climate resilience and economic growth across Africa.
This ambitious project positions itself as a catalyst for change, unlocking opportunities for pastoral communities and reshaping the future of livestock marketing on the continent.
