Fragmented policies cost Africa billions in livestock trade

By Newsflash Writer

Africa continues to lose billions of dollars annually through livestock imports despite possessing one of the world’s largest animal resource bases, prompting renewed calls for stronger policy coordination and regional trade integration.

The continent imported more than $10 billion (about KSh1.3 trillion) worth of livestock and livestock products last year, far exceeding exports of about $3.8 billion (KSh490.2 billion), highlighting a widening trade deficit that experts attribute to fragmented regulations and weak policy implementation.

Analysts say the imbalance reflects missed economic opportunities for African countries, many of which have large pastoral populations and abundant livestock resources but struggle to convert them into competitive regional and global trade.

Huge trade deficit

The concerns emerged during a technical consultation in Naivasha, convened by the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) to accelerate policy harmonisation and facilitate cross-border livestock trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The week-long meeting has brought together more than 70 veterinary authorities, customs officials, and private-sector livestock traders from countries in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel to discuss ways to streamline regulations governing cross-border livestock movement.

The consultations are part of the African Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) Platform, a pan-African initiative aimed at strengthening policy coordination and improving market access for pastoral livestock systems.

Despite the existence of regional trade agreements, pastoralists across the Horn of Africa and the Sahel continue to rely heavily on informal livestock trade routes due to inconsistent regulations, unharmonised sanitary standards, and weak coordination between countries.

AU-IBAR says cross-border livestock movement in many regions is still governed largely by informal arrangements, fragmented national regulations, and inconsistent sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, limiting the ability of pastoralists to participate in structured continental markets.

Policy gaps and missed economic opportunities

Livestock trade expert Dr Solomon Munyua said Africa’s rising livestock import bill reflects policy and coordination challenges rather than a shortage of production capacity.

“Africa imported about $10.2 billion worth of livestock and livestock products last year but exported only $3.8 billion,” he said. “We are spending billions on goods that we have the capacity to produce and process locally.”

He noted that the continent is also losing employment opportunities by exporting raw materials while importing finished livestock products.

Dr Munyua cited the leather industry as an example, saying many African countries export hides and skins but import finished products such as shoes and leather goods.

Dr John Oppong-Otoo, coordinator for economics, marketing and trade at AU-IBAR, said the trade deficit persists despite the continent’s vast livestock population and growing demand for meat and animal products.

He said Africa imported more than $5 billion (KSh650 billion) worth of meat in 2024, underscoring a missed opportunity for regional producers.

“Africa has the animals, the institutions and the policies,” he said. “What has been missing is the connection between our markets. Trade is about linking surplus to demand, and that is the gap we are working to close.”

Push for harmonised rules and market integration

AU-IBAR is working with governments and regional blocs to strengthen market linkages through the Africa Pastoral Market Development Platform, which seeks to connect livestock producers, traders, and buyers across borders while improving market infrastructure along major pastoral trade corridors.

The initiative also aims to harmonise livestock movement permits, vaccination records, and sanitary certificates as part of the development of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) between countries.

According to AU-IBAR, these efforts are expected to reduce regulatory fragmentation, accelerate cross-border trade, and improve coordination between national and regional trade frameworks.

Kenya’s Director of Livestock Policy Research and Regulations, Dr Christopher Wanga, said governments are increasingly aligning national policies with regional and continental agreements to facilitate freer livestock trade.

“We are very eager to implement provisions that facilitate free livestock trade across the continent, including sanitary and phytosanitary frameworks and regional protocols governing livestock movement,” he said.

Dr Wanga said Kenya has ratified several international and regional agreements, including SPS protocols under the World Trade Organization, and frameworks under the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) aimed at facilitating cross-border livestock movement.

However, regulatory capacity remains uneven across the region.

Dr Adelaide Ayoyi, the East African Community coordinator for mutual recognition procedures, said weak regulatory institutions in some countries continue to hinder progress.

“The challenge is that when a country lacks a competent regulatory authority, it cannot properly register safe and effective veterinary medicines before they reach the market,” she said.

She noted that the EAC has made progress in harmonising veterinary medicine regulations in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania, while efforts are ongoing to strengthen regulatory oversight in Burundi.

Officials from the AfCFTA Secretariat said the focus is now shifting from negotiating agreements to implementing the mechanisms needed to support trade.

Dr Diana Akullo, principal officer for trade in goods and competition at the AfCFTA Secretariat, said key protocols governing trade and dispute settlement have already been adopted.

“We have negotiated the main protocols under the AfCFTA and are now rolling out implementation tools such as the non-tariff barrier reporting mechanism and rules of origin guidelines,” she said.