3^rd August, 2020: A study was undertaken by ICPALD, through IDDRSI IL project funded by USAID, in Karamoja cluster which identified various resilience enhancing technologies and good practices along the livestock value chain. Some policy gaps were also identified and four business cases for investments in livestock trade, namely; improved animal breeding, feedloting, livestock marketing and slaughterhouses were developed and shared as communication messages with the private sector to help them make informed decisions. Welcome remarks were made by Dr. Ameha Sebsibe, on behalf of the Director of ICPALD and opened by Fredrick on behalf of the Director of Livestock Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives. They both noted that IGAD region is well endowed with huge livestock resource but its potential is not fully harnessed due to several challenges such as limited value addition, inadequate marketing and use of fodder and pasture as a result of increased frequency of drought and invasion of desert locust. There is need for increased and coordinated efforts by governments and the private sector to make adequate investment in order to fill the deficit and benefit from the existing resources and demands for livestock products. Fifty-six participants largely drawn from the private sector and few from the public sector as regulators, banking sector as financial lending institutions, ICPALD and IGAD secretariat, attended the meeting held on 3^rd August, 2020. The meeting made the following recommendations:

• The public sector should play a facilitative role to the private sector in terms of awareness creation about investment opportunities, capacity building to facilitate compliance with sanitary measures as well as facilitate harmonization of policies among IGAD member states to promote crossborder trade in livestock and their products
• The private sector should invest in value addition along the livestock value chain to maximize on profit gains
• The private sector with support of the public sector should empress production of improved fast maturing and high yielding livestock breeds for commercial purposes and better income
• The private sector with the support of the public sector should empress e-marketing to mitigate effects of shocks such as pandemics like COVID-19
• The private sector should keep bankable records of their businesses to enable them reach out to financial institutions for loan facilities to upgrade or diversify their investments
• Financial institutions should continue with their market penetrations skills to reach many private sector stakeholders who may benefit from loan facilities

 Acknowledgment: ICPALD expresses appreciation to USAID for funding this activity

5th August, 2020 : The informal crossborder trade (ICBT) policy framework seeks to leverage policy and regulatory shifts in ICBT as a viable means to transform the lives of millions of people living in the borderlands of the IGAD region and promote peace and stability crossborder areas. It seeks to enhance the integration of the Horn of Africa and, at the same time, reduce the incidence of cross-border instability and conflict. Through IDDRSI IL project funded by USAID, a virtual meeting was organized on 5^th August, 2020 to create awareness on the same to the public and private sectors.  Dr. SJM Munyua, the Director of ICPALD made a welcome remark and Vincent Githinji, on behalf of the Director of Livestock Production, MoALFC made opening remark. They informed participants that awareness on ICBT and CBSG to traders as well as the public sector is of paramount importance if the member states will be able to turn informal trade into formal. Majority of traders engage into informal trade due to inadequate knowledge of what formal trade entails, mostly fueled by cartels who want to fleece those small scale traders engaged in crossborder trade. Fifty-nine participants invited from border officials, traders of livestock and staple grain, customs, national bureau of standards, East Africa Trade Mark and border security personnel, CEWARN, ICPALD and USAID attended the meeting. The following recommendations were made:

1. IGAD member states should strengthen border security governance by including local governance structures and relevant community associations to monitor crossborder informal trade in long porous borders devoid of government law enforcement institutions
2. Governments should upgrade the one stop border posts to take on board human health issues to the level of pandemics in addition to strengthening laboratory testing capacities according to the needs of each
3. There is need for more awareness creation about the ICBT policy framework with key messages targeting taxable quantities of goods and commodities to mitigate tax evasion by unaware small-scale traders
4. Grades and standards user agencies and ministries should do more dissemination to mainstream private sector users to enhance compliance in order to promote inter/ intra-regional trade in livestock, staple grains and other goods
5. IGAD member states should strive to harmonize grades and standards of their tradable commodities to promote regional trade as well as exploit African continental market after the launch of AfCFTA agreement come January, 2021
6. It is important to advocate for more one stop border posts (OSBP) within IGAD member states to increase government regulations along their long porous unregulated borders to ease movements and promote formal crossborder
7. IGAD member states should develop more infrastructures such as border markets, water pans, roads, laboratories, fodder banks, holding grounds etc along their common borders to facilitate more formal crossborder trade
8. IGAD member states should work on ways to eliminate non-tariff barriers (NTBs) among themselves to promote crossborder trade regionally

Acknowledgement: ICPALD expresses appreciation to USAID for funding this activity

3^rd August, 2020. Acceptance of innovative technologies and practices is determined by the extent to which they are adapted to cater for market-specific requirements and the process through which they are disseminated to the users in the market. An assessment in Karamoja cluster identified various resilience enhancing technologies that have had proven concept with the support of IDDRSI IL project funded by USAID, from which, three business cases, namely; commercial hay production, fodder seed multiplication and fortified animal feed production were developed. They were presented in a virtual meeting of private sector stakeholders drawn from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda on 3^rd August, 2020.

The meeting was addressed by Dr. Ameha Sebsibe, on behalf of the Director of ICPALD, and opened by Fredrick Aloo representing Director of Livestock Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives. They both emphasized that improving commercial production of fodder and fodder seeds is critical for better performance of the livestock sector that employs over eighty percent of inhabitants of arid and semi-arid lands that constitute about 60-70% of IGAD land mass. Fifty six (56) participants largely drawn from the private sector and few from the public sector as regulators, banking sector as financial lending institutions, ICPALD and IGAD secretariat, attended the meeting held virtually on 3^rd August, 2020. The meeting made the following recommendations:  

• Governments should facilitate the private sector to improve commercial fodder production through various incentives, capacity development as well as harmonize policies at regional level to promote regional trade in the cluster and beyond
• Private sector should seize the investment opportunities in fodder value chain using available loan facilities from financial institutions to promote investment in the sector
• Government/Counties/Private sector should invest in infrastructure that supports fodder/seed production, value addition, storage and marketing (physical and e-platform).
• Governments in partnership with the private sector (PPP) and or private sector should invest on successful fodder and seed interventions to meet regional and international demands and improve the market share
• Governments should strengthen certification of fodder seeds to mitigate quality issues; improve confidence and enhance trade
• Strengthen research to promote fodder production for commercial purposes
• Financial institutions should continue with awareness creation to private sector investors on available loan facilities and collateral requirements.

Acknowledgement: ICPALD expresses appreciation to USAID for funding this activity.

IGAD/ICPALD (June 8-19, 2020): Risk analysis is an essential tool to characterize and evaluate risks, and inform preventive, preparedness and control measures. Previous training conducted by different projects, partners and countries were fragmented and more of theoretical. The IGAD Center for Pastoral Areas & Livestock Development (ICPALD) has therefore requested the European Commission for the Control of foot-and-mouth disease (EuFMD) to collaborate with the development and delivery of a training course on qualitative risk analysis to produce a critical mass of experts in IGAD countries working in the livestock public sector to support transboundary animal disease control in the region and enhance safe trade. The training approach used was an integrated training approach; composed of online e-learning, face-to-face sessions and application and reporting; designed as one package.

The three phases of training started on January 08, 2020 and ended on June 19, 2020 after 4 days long virtual final session. Overall the training took six months including field work and mentorship. The trainees were from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda and each country team undertook study using the risk analysis tool; the reports reviewed to verify the skill and knowledge is captured. Finally, each trainee received certificate signed by ICPALD director and EU-FMD /FAO

The key recommendations include the trainees to cascade the knowledge and skill gained and   help in integrating the risk analysis tool in their Veterinary services program; and to scale up similar training to other IGAD member states. ICPALD also commend the support of EU-FMD and RPLRP (WB) project.