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To complement the exhibition side of the event, the SIBVAO thematic panels and workshops which started this morning are well attended. Discussions are organised around the regional and national policy environment, particularly policies developed, promoted, and being implemented under the leadership of the UEMOA and ECOWAS commissions, the CILSS Executive Secretariat and under the responsibility of Member States. Such guiding principles include the various projects, programmes, and other initiatives in progress at both regional and national levels with the support of technical and financial partners.

Panels also address the challenges in the sector and the pleas and solutions to be envisaged to curb and resolve the numerous crises. The concerns include production/processing/marketing value-chain, conflicts between farmers and livestock breeders, animal health, customs and road harassment at the borders, access to financing, investment by young people in the sector and the professionalisation of the livestock/meat sector.

The themes covered by the panels and workshops are, among others, the employability of young people in the sector, the challenges of development and growth, the nutrients of camel and dromedary milk and meat, strategies for pooling the actions of regional organisations and mobilising resources, theft and clandestine slaughter of livestock, capacity building of livestock farmers, the fodder economy, etc.

For the presenters and facilitators of the panels and workshops, especially those from the UEMOA and ECOWAS Commissions, the region has a particular interest in developing the employability of young people in the agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries sector to fill the gaps. By way of comparison, livestock consumption in the region represents 15 kg per person per year compared to 86.3 kg in France and 75.5 kg in America, poultry consumption is estimated at 3 kg per person per year compared to 20 kg per person per year in France. For fish, regional consumption is about 14.7 kg per person per year compared to 20.2 kg per person per year on average worldwide.

In this vein, the existing potential in the livestock/meat sector (2nd largest trade product in West Africa and the Sahel) must be developed. The development of the sector requires the involvement of young people, who represent more than 50% of the regional population.

The approach must be young people grounded. Moreover, all initiatives cannot be sustainable if the region does not complete the process of structuring the livestock/meat sector, including the promotion of local animal products.

COFENABVI must also undergo a reorganisation exercise at the institutional level with an updated structuring and operationalisation plan. Indeed, inter-professions must be given greater value.

To recall, SIBVAO 2023 is mainly funded by the Swiss Cooperation through the PACBAO Project (Support Programme for Livestock Marketing in West Africa) and co-organised by COFENABVI (Confederation of National Federations of the Livestock and Meat Sector of West Africa) and WACTAF (West African Association of Cross-border Trade in agro-sylvo-pastoral and halieutic food products). The main theme of this edition of SIBVAO (Salon International de Bétail Viande de l'Afrique de l'Ouest), which is a specialised platform for actors in the livestock-meat value chain in West Africa, is "Livestock-Meat Value Chain, a Tool for increasing regional Trade and Job creation in West Africa in a context of insecurity”.