The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development (FMLD), in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicine (GALVmed), has inaugurated the National Technical Working Group (NTWG) on Newcastle Disease. 

Announcing the initiative in Abuja on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, Permanent Secretary Dr Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi stated that the working group will draft Nigeria’s first structured National Newcastle Disease Strategic Plan to strengthen poultry biosecurity and protect rural livelihoods.

Represented by Dr Adedoyin Adeniyi, Director of the Project Coordination Unit, the Permanent Secretary emphasised that Newcastle disease remains a highly contagious viral threat that inflicts severe financial losses on commercial operators and village chicken producers. 

Historically, uncoordinated control efforts have led to duplicated interventions and resource waste. 

The newly inaugurated working group is tasked with establishing a unified blueprint covering disease surveillance, rapid outbreak response, biosecurity protocols, and last-mile vaccine delivery to safeguard the country’s estimated 640 million poultry population.

The strategic roadmap will capitalise on domestic vaccine production through the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) while upgrading last-mile delivery chains and training extension workers and rural women who rely on smallholder poultry for income.

Key stakeholders supporting the initiative include the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), the Nigerian Association of Animal Health and Husbandry Technologists (NAAHHT), ECOWAS, AU-IBAR, and the FAO. 

Director of Animal Health and Reproductive Services, Dr Mitchell Alao, and National Programme Coordinator, Dr Yakubu Yanet Ago, noted that harmonising interventions across state and federal channels will mitigate mortality rates and reinforce national food security.

Source: Federal Ministry of Livestock Development