About 265 million ruminants across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are under threat from the deadly Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) disease, the ECOWAS Regional Animal Health Centre (RAHC) has revealed.

In Ghana alone, approximately 7.5 million goats and 6.5 million sheep are at risk, while across the ECOWAS zone, some 110 million sheep and 157 million goats face potential exposure to the viral disease.

PPR is an acute or sub-acute viral infection that mainly affects goats and sheep. It is characterised by fever, necrotic stomatitis, gastroenteritis, pneumonia and, in severe cases, death.

The alarming figures were disclosed at a three-day Cross-Border Planning, Coordination and Evaluation Workshop organised by the RAHC to strategise towards a mass vaccination campaign aimed at eradicating the disease by 2030.

The workshop brought together about 35 senior veterinary officials and regional and international development partners. Representatives from 12 ECOWAS member States, including Ghana, Togo, Benin, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, are participating in the meeting, which seeks to harmonise strategies and synchronise vaccination campaigns across borders.

In an address, read on his behalf, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, underscored the need for strengthened regional cooperation to safeguard livestock resources, protect livelihoods and enhance food security.

“Livestock production remains a cornerstone of economic stability and rural development within ECOWAS member States,” he stated, adding that transboundary animal diseases continued to undermine trade, disrupt livelihoods and pose risks to public health and regional stability.

Mr Opoku stressed that mass vaccination campaigns were among the most effective tools for controlling and, where feasible, eradicating such diseases. He called for harmonised planning, improved data sharing and coordinated monitoring among member states.

A representative of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Mr Simon Kihu, described the eradication of PPR as not only a veterinary obligation but also an investment in human development and social stability.

“Sheep and goats serve as critical economic assets for women and youth in many rural communities,” he noted, adding that, “Outbreaks erode incomes, weaken household nutrition and reduce resilience, particularly in the Sahel and coastal zones.”

The Acting Director of the ECOWAS Regional Animal Health Centre, Dr Kofi Eugene, said the objective of the workshop was to review vaccination campaigns undertaken between 2023 and 2025, and propose priority actions to strengthen control of transboundary animal diseases in West Africa and the Sahel.

He warned that PPR could have serious developmental implications if left unchecked, noting that the disease costs the global economy an estimated $2.1 billion annually. He added that failure to eradicate the disease by 2030 could result in up to 90 per cent loss of ruminant populations and cause affected families to lose about 14 per cent of their income.

In a statement delivered on his behalf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, emphasised that the success of national campaigns depended largely on regional coordination.

“Synchronising vaccination calendars, strengthening surveillance systems and sharing data among member states will significantly improve the effectiveness of disease control efforts,” he said, adding that a unified approach would prevent animals from escaping immunisation through cross-border movements.

A representative of the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), Dr Jean-Marc Feussom, said the workshop aligned with continental priorities to strengthen animal health systems and boost livestock productivity.