EAC expects to strengthen cooperation on livestock research

• Source: Xinhua
• [10:02 July 03 2009]
• Comments

The East African Community (EAC) and the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute have expressed the intention to establish a long-term relationship for exploiting their complementarities in research knowledge generation and its application to further their respective missions.

The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the possibilities of collaborating in research and its application based on the following areas: targeting and innovation; people, livestock and environment; expanding market opportunities; biotechnology and regional strategic analysis and knowledge support system, the local newspaper the African on Thursday quoted a statement released on Wednesday as saying.

EAC Secretary General Juma Mwapachu and Carlos Sere, regional representative of the research Institute signed the MoU on behalf of the two agencies respectively, the report said.

The signing of the MoU came at a time when the partner states are putting in place several initiatives to harmonize their policies and programs on livestock and fisheries resources within the region.

The livestock sector in the EAC works closely with the human health sector and other stakeholders in the control of transboundary animal diseases.

The EAC has been cooperating with the European Union to prepare the EAC region to respond to avian influenza in the event of an outbreak, which mainly aims to contribute to the socioeconomic welfare and public health in the EAC by minimizing the impact of A(H1N1) flu.