The federal government says African countries must shift from reactive, event-driven responses to predictive, risk-based, and analytics-driven surveillance to meet the global target of eradicating Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) by 2030.

PPR is a viral disease caused by a morbillivirus, closely related to the rinderpest virus, that affects goats, sheep, and wild relatives of domesticated small ruminants and camels.

Chinyere Akujobi, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, said this in Abuja on Wednesday at the Regional Training on Strengthening Animal Disease Surveillance, Building Capacities for PPR Eradication, and Transboundary Animal Diseases.

The training was conducted under the Framework for the Implementation of the Pan-African PPR Eradication and other Sheep and Goat Disease Control Programmes in West African Member Countries.

It was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the African Union-Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), with financial support from the European Union.

Ms Akujobi urged every country to build surveillance systems that were smarter, faster, and more collaborative.

She further urged strengthening coordination, adopting modern tools, and ensuring information-driven action.

“We must build stronger technical skills in participatory and risk-based surveillance and harmonise epidemiological procedures so that data generated across countries can be compared and acted upon.

“We must adopt modern tools for defining epi-systems, map high-risk zones, integrate these results into continental and global platforms, and strengthen regional coordination structures and the Regional Veterinary Committee.

“These priorities speak directly to the core challenges of our region: uneven reporting, weak linkages between laboratories and field surveillance, fragmented information systems, and gaps in cross-border coordination,” she said.

Ms Akujobi urged the participants to approach the sessions with an evidence-driven mindset that reflected the complexity of today’s transboundary animal disease landscape.

“Our surveillance systems must be guided by real-time information and must incorporate digital tools that enable us to detect risks early and intervene quickly. At the same time, our countries must work in harmony, because a disease like PPR does not recognise administrative boundaries.

“It is essential that our systems speak to one another and that information flows seamlessly from community animal health workers to national databases and onwards to regional and global systems.

“This gathering is more than a routine training session; it represents a strategic turning point for West Africa,” she said.

According to her, many African countries remain heavily affected by PPR, foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, anthrax, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and other transboundary and zoonotic diseases that threaten food security.

“The small ruminant sector, in particular, supports millions of families, including women and youth whose livelihoods depend on healthy animals.

“Every outbreak that sweeps through our communities deepens vulnerability and disrupts social and economic stability,” she said.

She assured that Nigeria remained fully committed to regional solidarity and to the Pan-African PPR Eradication Programme.

Ms Akujobi said the country was focused on strengthening the National Animal Disease Information System to improve reporting from across the federation and enhance laboratory-field collaboration under the One Health approach.

According to her, Nigeria works closely with ECOWAS, the AU-IBAR, the FAO, and the World Organisation for Animal Health to align national actions with continental strategies.

The training targeted veterinarians, laboratory scientists, epidemiologists, wildlife experts, border authorities, and pastoralist communities across West Africa.

Its goal was to strengthen national and regional systems to better equip them to eradicate PPR.

(NAN)