A two-day Experts’ meeting on Herders-Farmers conflicts started in Abuja on Tuesday, 24th April, 2018. It was attended by delegates from ECOWAS Members States, as well as Mauritania, Chad and Central African Republic.

Experts from the concerned countries as well as other stakeholders are meeting to propose solutions to address the challenges posed by conflicts between Farmers and Herders in the region ahead of the ECOWAS Ministers of Security and Agriculture/Animal Resources meeting on Thursday, 26th April, 2018.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Sékou Sangaré, highlighted the complex factors presently complicating conflict between the concerned parties and noting that the “21st century demands continuous structural transformation of animal husbandry”.

Mr. Sangaré added that the meeting will provide ECOWAS the opportunity to tap from the experiences of participants in order to improve the ECOWAS transhumance regulation framework, strengthen internal security and governance as well as propose pragmatic solutions for the sustainable development of livestock and pastoralism.

Similarly, the Permanent Secretary in the Nigerian Ministry of Interior, Dr. M.B. Umar, in his opening address said that “Nigeria is in the fore-front at finding a lasting solution to this unfortunate development” because of the colossal losses that the sub-region has suffered as a result of clashes between farmers and herders.

Dr. Umar therefore highlighted the need for participants to address the control of livestock production to ensure appropriate management of animal movement, critically examine the various regulations on movement of persons and goods as well as review the subsisting national laws on animal movement control in order to align them with the provisions of the ECOWAS Transhumance Regulation on documentation of animal movement within the sub-region.

The outcome the Experts’ meeting will form the background for the ECOWAS Ministers of Security and Agriculture/Animal Resources meeting which will take place on Thursday, 26th April, 2018, in Abuja.