NAIROBI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, said Wednesday that the involvement of women from nomadic communities will be key to transforming the livestock sector and spurring inclusive growth in the Horn of Africa.
Ameha Sebsibe, head of livestock and fisheries at the IGAD, said that leveraging indigenous knowledge and ingenuity possessed by pastoralist women will inject vitality into a sector that supports millions of livelihoods in the region.
"To unlock the full potential of the livestock sector and cater to the rising demand for animal-sourced foods we must empower women," Sebsibe said during the launch of a Horn of Africa livestock market systems strategy in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
Sebsibe urged Horn of African countries to adopt climate-resilient livestock production and adhere to sanitary requirements in a bid to boost cross-border trade in meat, milk, hides and skin.
Valentine Zellweger, ambassador of Switzerland to Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda, said that the future of pastoralism in the Horn of Africa is bright, subject to ensuring female players had access to capital and markets.
Carmen Jaquez, director of evidence and learning in dryland production systems at Mercy Corps, an international development charity, said that empowering nomadic women will be key to realizing food security, improved incomes, and cohesion in the drylands.
Jaquez noted that the livestock industry alone has been generating nearly 1.5 billion U.S. dollars annually, representing 10 percent to 30 percent of the gross domestic product for the Horn of African countries.
Almost 20 million men and women including producers and extensive networks of traders and brokers are involved in the livestock sector across the Horn of Africa region, according to the IGAD.
The bloc noted that nomadic women from the Horn of Africa region are actively involved in the sale of live animals, meat processing, tanneries, milk trade and processing.
Growing demand for livestock products including meat and milk promises sustainable livelihoods for female pastoralists in the region, according to the IGAD.