When it comes to public-private partnerships, it means forging market-based programmes that create demand, spur creativity and incentivize innovation to meet shared goals. It also means bringing in private sector expertise and those who understand market incentives into public sector enterprises to manage private sector participation and sustainability of enterprises. Against that notion, AU-IBAR, together with the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) facilitated a consultative meeting on “Public-Private-Partnership for the Establishment of the ECCAS Regional Parent Stock Farm (PSF) in Cameroon.” The meeting was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 5-7 January 2022.
To ensure that the vision of the Parent Stock Farm moves beyond dialogue and aspiration to the co-creation of a more inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable initiative, discussions during the PPP dialogue centered on issues of sustainability and the PPP Framework for the Regional PPP approach. Discussions also revolved around the Selection Criteria of the Farm to host the PSF. Additionally, a consensus was built surrounding the bid criteria for selecting the potential farms that can bid for hosting the implementation of the PSF in Cameroon. Other discussions were on the Terms of Legal-framework, i.e., the MoU and contracts among partners on terms of partnerships, and the ToRs for selecting the appropriate farm to establish the CA-GPSF. The applicable plan for regional dissemination of genetic improvement attained in the CA-PSF was reviewed, including the identification of needs for capacity building of the different strata to support sustainable genetic improvement and economic growth of the regional poultry sector.
Speaking on behalf of Dr. Nick Nwankpa, AU-IBAR’s Acting Director, Dr. Anne Lewa, AU-IBAR's Senior Projects and Programmes Officer, AU-IBAR, provided background information on the journey to establishing the Grandparent Stock Farm for Central Africa. Dr. Lewa noted that the idea was born out of the stocktaking consultation with key stakeholders in Egypt, 2019. At that meeting, stakeholders validated the regional prioritized value chains and identified strategic actions and interventions from five (5) regions of the continent (North, South, East, West and Central Africa). The main identified Strategic Actions for Central Africa by stakeholders from the region was ‘To improve the poultry Egg value chain, under which, the main intervention identified was the establishment of ECCAS regional grand-parent stock farm and strengthening the inter-professional network of national and regional levels.
The parent stock farm initiative is being implemented under the Sustainable Livestock for Livelihoods Project (Live2 Africa), which the European Union is funding. Live2Africa is implementing the continental aspects of the Livestock Development strategy (LIDESA) through Seven result areas using a Value chain approach in 6 selected Regional Value Chains. One of the Seven Result areas is “To enhance the implementation of breeding and conservation program for sustainable utilization and management of African Livestock’.
Before the PPP dialogue, several other dialogues and activities were held with stakeholders. Notably, among these have been discussions with ECCAS on establishing the regional parent stock farm in Cameroon. The meetings were held in Libreville, Gabon, and Yaoundé, Cameroon, respectively, between 8-16 of August 2021. Initial technical discussions and meetings were also held with the ECCAS Chairperson and the honourable Minister of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Industries for Cameroon to establish the CA-GPSF. Dr. Lewa noted that the coordination meetings involved interaction and on-side fact-finding visits to public and private poultry facilities by a multi-stakeholder delegation that included ECCAS, MLFAIS, private sector actors, the Cameroon poultry inter-professional Organization and AU-IBAR.
The PPP meeting was attended by representatives from AU-IBAR; Dr. Hamman Atkam, Director of Animal Production; The Republic of Cameroon; Representatives from the Private sector, among them, the representative of the poultry farms association of Cameroon, The ECCAS Representatives, Dr. Moussa Baschirou, Representatives from the Public Sector, among them, the representatives the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Industries, and Representatives of the Development and Technical partners.
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Read Full Speech by Director AU-IBAR during opening of event
