FAO in South Sudan

FAO helps control livestock diseases with opening of South Sudan’s first-ever Central Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

South Sudan’s Vice President James Wani Igga, flanked by Japanese Ambassador Seiji Okada, cuts the ribbon to launch the new Central Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Juba, 5 December 2019. ©FAO South Sudan
05/12/2019

Thanks to funding from the Government of Japan, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries in the Republic of South Sudan has launched the nation’s first-ever Central Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.


The laboratory will contribute towards the diagnosis, reporting, monitoring and contorl of priority animal diseases in the country.
The construction of the new laboratory was funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by FAO. The new facility was inaugurated by the Republic of South Sudan Vice President, James Wani Igga. The opening ceremony was also attended by Minister of Livestock and Fisheries James Janga Duku, Japanese Ambassador Seiji Okada, donors and UN agencies, and prominent personalities in the South Sudan veterinary and livestock sector including Professor Aggrey Majok of the Universtiy of Juba. 


South Sudan has for several years suffered recurring animal disease outbreaks and FAO has been working collaboratively with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries and other actors in the livestock sector to save the lives of millions of animals. Despite all these efforts,diseases could not be completely contolled due to the absence of a fully-functional diagnostic facility.

In 2008, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries established a small veterinary laboratory housed in prefabricated structure, with support from FAO and Vétérinaires Sans Frontieres Belgium (VSF-B). Finally, over ten years later, an upgraded and fully-functional permanent structure has been established.


Livestock-keeping is one of the main economic activities in the country and forms part of the national identity of South Sudan. There are at least 36 million cattle, goats and sheep – making South Sudan one of the wealthiest countries in Africa in terms of per capita ownership of livestock. Livestock is used as a source of food or sold to buy other food sources, pay medical expenses and cover school fees. Cattle in particular are also perceived as a source of wealth in South Sudan, primarily through the payment of bride price between families.


However, livestock wealth is not adequately commercialized to help the rural communities fully realize the monetary value of the animals, in order to improve food security and standards of living. The newly established laboratory will help agro-pastoralists access formal market through the production of a safer animal product.


“The livestock resource in this country is worth more than USD 4 Billion [and] what we need to do is to commercialize the sector to ensure increased contribution towards the gross domestic product of this country,” said Meshack Malo, FAO Representative in South Sudan during the inauguration ceremony. He further said improved access to livestock sector services can help increase contribution to the GDP significantly above the current estimate of 3 percent.