Download logoWithin the space of five weeks, the Government of Kenya, the Government of Uganda and the Federal Government of Somalia have each convened national inception workshops for the project “Accelerating Food Systems Transformation for Resilience to Climate Change in Africa,” marking the operational start, in all three focus countries, of a three-year initiative to build the resilience of livestock-based food systems to climate change. The workshops, held in Nairobi on 22 July, in Entebbe on 6 August and in Mogadishu on 12 August 2026, were jointly organised with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and each brought together government officials, development partners, private-sector actors, pastoralist communities and researchers to review and refine four inception reports covering livestock value chains, climate/index-based livestock insurance, land tenure security and climate-land information systems for evidence-based decision-making. The regional roll-out began in Nairobi on 22 July 2026, when the Government of Kenya joined ECA, AU-IBAR and IGAD to open the Kenya National Inception Meeting at AU-IBAR’s headquarters. The gathering brought together representatives of national and county government, the National Land Commission, development partners, pastoralist associations, private-sector actors and researchers, who reviewed and helped refine the four inception reports and agreed on a Kenya-specific work plan and roadmap for implementation. The technical session opened against a stark backdrop: an estimated 29 million people across the region face hunger despite Africa’s considerable agricultural potential. Kenya’s livestock sector, contributing roughly 12% of national GDP and 40% of agricultural GDP, was identified as a key lever for agri-food transformation and trade diversification, even as it remains constrained by climate vulnerability, limited compliance with export standards, low uptake of livestock insurance and persistent gaps in data. The Kenya Livestock Value Chain Assessment will initially focus on the beef and camel milk value chains. Discussions in Nairobi on climate/index-based insurance traced the evolution of such schemes in the country and underlined the need to transition away from heavily subsidised models toward more sustainable approaches, while flagging affordability, low renewal rates and payout delays as persistent challenges. On land, participants identified secure tenure, particularly in pastoral areas where mobility and shared resource use are essential, as a critical enabler of resilient livestock systems, even where supportive legal frameworks already exist. The day closed with thematic breakout discussions that tested the scope, methodology, site selection and stakeholder plans behind all four assessments, and agreed priority recommendations to guide the next phase. Two weeks later, on 6 August 2026, the project held its official national launch in Uganda, at the Protea Hotel by Marriott in Entebbe. The workshop, anchored jointly in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries — drew engagement at ministerial level from both institutions: Lt. Col. (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama, Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (Animal Industry), and Hon. Judith Nabakooba, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, who delivered the closing remarks. The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Leonard Zulu; IGAD’s Head of Mission to Uganda, Joselyn Bigirwa; and ECA’s Dr. Medhat El-Helepi and Dr. Gladys Mosomtai also addressed the meeting, alongside AU-IBAR’s Dr. Sarah Ashanut Ossiya. Participation was broad: Members of Parliament, including Hon. Francis Akorikin (Kapelebyong), officials of the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Insurance Regulatory Authority and the Agro Insurance Consortium, dairy and pastoralist cooperatives such as Dwaniro Dairy Cooperative, a cultural leader from Karamoja, and development partners including aBi, FAO and UNDP all took part. Mr. Zulu pointed to the Government’s roughly UGX 312 billion Food Security and Nutrition Crisis Response Plan for Karamoja as evidence of national commitment, while Minister Rwamirama linked the project directly to Uganda’s Agro-Industrialisation Programme and Parish Development Model. The four inception reports presented in Entebbe were validated as a sound basis for the assessments ahead, subject to refinement. Uganda’s dairy sector, producing an estimated 5.3 billion litres of milk and generating around USD 280 million in exports in 2024/25, anchors the value-chain work in Kiboga and Kayunga, while beef production and the associated hides-and-skins chain will be examined in Karamoja and Teso. On insurance, participants noted that Uganda already has the legal arch
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
