PRES – The Trumpet Newspaper Nigeria

The Taraba State Coordination Office of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project has intensified efforts to improve animal healthcare delivery and livestock productivity by engaging private veterinary practitioners in the implementation of its Private Veterinary Practice Programme.

The strategic engagement, held in Jalingo, was observed to have brought together the State Project Coordinator, Mr. Hananiah G. Albert, programme consultants, Dr. Gani Enahoro and Professor Wesley Daniel Nafarnda, licensed private veterinary practitioners from across the state, and members of the State Project Implementation Unit (PIU).

The initiative, as gathered by The Guardian, is part of the project’s drive to strengthen private sector participation in veterinary service delivery, improve access to quality animal healthcare, and enhance disease surveillance and control across the state.

Speaking during the engagement, Albert said the Private Veterinary Practice Programme was designed to complement government veterinary services by building the capacity of private practitioners to deliver efficient and accessible animal health services.

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According to him, the programme will also strengthen disease surveillance and reporting systems while contributing to increased livestock productivity and the growth of the state’s livestock sector.

He noted that achieving the programme’s objectives would require sustained collaboration among government agencies, veterinary professionals, livestock producers, and development partners.

He therefore urged licensed private veterinary practitioners to embrace the initiative and maintain high standards of professionalism, ethics, and service delivery.

Programme consultants, Dr Enahoro and Professor Nafarnda, who presented the operational framework for the initiative, explained the accreditation process, quality assurance measures, monitoring requirements, implementation arrangements, and the roles expected of participating private veterinary practitioners.

They emphasized that adherence to established guidelines and professional standards would be critical to ensuring effective, reliable, and sustainable veterinary services throughout the state.

Participants also examined key issues affecting implementation, including accreditation of service providers, veterinary service standards, disease reporting, performance monitoring, veterinary drug management, and collaboration between private practitioners and government veterinary authorities.

They offered recommendations aimed at strengthening the implementation process and ensuring the programme achieves its intended objectives.

At the end of the engagement, stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the successful rollout of the L-PRES Private Veterinary Practice Programme, expressing confidence that the initiative would expand access to quality veterinary services, strengthen animal disease control systems, and promote sustainable livestock development in Taraba State.

The engagement represents another milestone in the implementation of the L-PRES Project’s sanitary mandate activities and reinforces the state’s commitment to developing a resilient, productive, and commercially competitive livestock sector.