Veterinarians Urge Stronger Lab Diagnosis, Disease Reporting To Unlock N12trn Poultry Industry

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ABUJA – Veterinary professionals and stakeholders have called for urgent investment in laboratory diagnosis, sample submission, and disease reporting to safeguard Nigeria’s ₦12 trillion poultry industry and protect over 20 million livelihoods.

Speaking in Abuja at a two-day Public-Private Laboratory Forum on Strengthening Poultry Disease Surveillance in Nigeria organised by GALVmed and the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development in collaboration with Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association(NVMA), President of Veterinary Council of Nigeria(VCN), Prof. Matthew Adamu, said poultry is the most organised sub-sector of livestock in Nigeria.

Adamu pointed out that strengthening labs, improving biosecurity, vaccination, and reporting would help grow the poultry sub- sector from ₦12 trillion to as much as ₦100 trillion in value.

He emphasised that accurate laboratory diagnosis solves more than 50% of any disease problem.

He said: “Once you know the disease, you know the mitigation, how to arrest it, and how to prevent reccurrence. Prevention is better than cure.”

He identified weak laboratory capacity and poor sample submission as major gaps.

Citing the recent AASF outbreak in the Middle Belt, he stressed the need to work closely with the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) as the reference laboratory.

“Too few samples are being sent for confirmation. When we report diseases to OIE, it helps our country and also helps researchers access international grants. Disease reporting is very, very critical,” he said.

In his remarks, Dr. Moses Arokoyo, Country Director, GALVmed, called for urgent integration of disease data and stronger laboratory systems to combat Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza in Nigeria.

Arokoyo, who doubles as the National President of NVMA, noted that while Nigeria generates significant poultry health data, poor reporting and fragmentation remain major challenges.

According to him, “Nigeria has lots of data, but there is poor reporting. If it is not reported, it did not happen. This is the problem we are facing.”

He revealed that the two-day meeting followed the February launch of Enhancing Disease Surveillance for African Poultry(EDSA) in Nigeria and earlier sessions with the National Technical Working Group on Newcastle Disease, where it was discovered that Nigeria currently has no strategic policy document on Newcastle Disease.

He stressed that diagnosis is key, with 50 billion chickens produced globally each year and Newcastle Disease evolving at 1% annually.

“Newcastle has been here for 100 years. Avian Influenza is 20 years this year. Diagnosis has a very strong role to play,” he explained.

To address the gaps, he disclosed that GALVmed, through EDSA, has established a multi-million dollar partnership with Animal Care to upgrade private laboratory capacity, including equipment, training, and ISO certification.

Also speaking, Dr. Samuel Anzaku, Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria,called for an urgent shift in attitude towards disease data reporting, warning that fragmentation and under-reporting are undermining Nigeria’s ability to control poultry diseases.

Anzaku represented by Dr. Adeniyi Adedoyin, recalled that the same issue was raised 3-4 years ago.

“Why do we have teaching hospitals and different labs — public and private — generating data, and everybody keeps to their own data?” he asked.

He referenced the Animal Disease Control Act, which mandates reporting of animal diseases through the National Animal Disease Information System(NADIS), domiciled in the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria.

Under the Act, he said, State Directors of Veterinary Services are to collect data from VTHs and private practitioners.

“Despite this law, we have been under-reporting for the last 10 years. Some colleagues ask, ‘Did they give me money to get the data?

“Even in teaching hospitals, some Directors feel uncomfortable sharing with the State DVS. But that is the law,” he stated.

He emphasised that the goal is not to demand raw primary data, but processed data that can be integrated nationally.

“Data that sits with Animal Care. Data that sits with University Teaching Hospitals. How do we ensure there is a paradigm shift? Without that shift, we can sit here for 24 hours and we will not achieve the result we are looking for,” he said.

He noted that human health and pharmacy sectors have already harmonised their surveillance systems and are moving faster, while the veterinary sector is lagging behind.

Dr. Onallo Akpa, Director General of Poultry Association of Nigeria(PAN),called for increased investment in research and laboratory capacity to tackle Newcastle Disease and other endemic poultry diseases that continue to threaten Nigeria’s livestock.

Akpa noted that while the meeting was important, “we must go beyond gatherings to our labs and research libraries” to develop practical solutions.

He highlighted the critical role of poultry production in Nigeria’s economy, describing it as “the most consolidated sub-sector” within livestock and a major driver of employment, empowerment, and livelihoods.

“Poultry contributes immensely to the socio-economic development of this country.

“So when we are faced with diseases that devastate farms, it becomes a challenge and a big assault on the profession,” he stated.

The Director General of PAN, therefore, tasked participants to use the two-day deliberations to identify “missing gaps” and develop strategies to reduce the endemic nature of poultry diseases and their economic impact.

While acknowledging that total eradication may not be immediate, he underscored the need for coordinated research, disease surveillance, and professional action to protect the industry and the millions of Nigerians who depend on it.

Dr. Rita Duwong, Portfolio Manager Livestock Health and Production, Propcom+,announced a new partnership with the Federal Government to scale the delivery of poultry vaccines to rural households using the Community-Owned Poultry Vaccination and Production (COPVP) model.

Duwong said the initiative directly addresses one of the biggest threats to rural livelihoods: disease outbreaks at the last mile.

“At the last mile, in every household you find poultry, with women at the core of keeping these small animals for economic purposes and to run their households.

One disease can wipe out an entire community’s flock,” she stated.

The representative of Propcom+, an 8-year UK-funded programme, noted that scaling proven innovations in the rural economy is a core mandate of the programme.

According to her, “The COPVP model leverages community structures to ensure vaccines reach backyard and smallholder poultry keepers who are often excluded from formal veterinary services.

“This initiative comes in very timely. It is a pleasure partnering with government as our new partners this year. This is the first step of many more things to come between us.”

The workshop,according to participants, aimed to develop actionable plans to improve reporting, data integration, and laboratory capacity for poultry disease surveillance in Nigeria.

End.