Africa-Press – Botswana. Uganda has expressed eagerness for more of Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) produced animal vaccines to safeguard its beef industry.
With a population of over 14.5 million cattle, 17 million goats and five million sheep, Uganda’s Minister of State for Animal Industry, Mr Bright Rwamirama said the Eastern African nation was ready to welcome more vaccine doses from BVI.
“We are ready for you, we have opened our hands for you,” Mr Rwamirama said during a tour of BVI facilities yesterday.
He said recurring Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks remained a threat to Uganda’s beef sector. Mr Rwamirama said Uganda was aware of BVI’s quality vaccine as the two countries relations on vaccine trade started in 2010, although there had been challenges along the way.
“We have to work together, we have to make arrangements which are sustainable,” he said.
Mr Rwamirama further said both countries’ heads of states had strengthened cooperation hence there had to be swiftness in implementation.
BVI General Manager, Mr Andrew Madeswi said with over forty years in animal vaccine production, BVI welcomed the rebirth of relations between Botswana and Uganda.
He said BVI played a vital role in providing animal health solutions to Botswana, Africa and some parts of the world.
He said through producing quality vaccines, Botswana had been able to access and supply beef to the stringent European Union market, adding that BVI was ready to expand its footprint to Uganda.
“We will do our best to offer support to Uganda,” Mr Madeswi said to the visiting delegation.
He said through investment in technology and science, BVI was a leading Africa disease control solution provider, especially in fighting FMD.
The BVI General Manager said their vaccines conformed to world standards. He added that BVI continued to invest and position itself to provide sustainable animal health solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.
BVI clients, he said, included governments, non-governmental organisations and individuals, adding that they had customers in more than 20 countries.
Mr Madeswi told the Ugandan delegation that FMD vaccine contributed over ninety per cent of BVI’s revenue, hence they were looking at diversifying to add other products, especially those geared towards addressing problems prone to the African continent.
He said BVI targeted to be Africa’s biggest antigen bank which would enable it to produce vaccines in the shortest period. BVI produces six vaccines for animal health solutions being Aftovax, Aftovaxpur, Asymptol, Carbovax-c, Peribov and PPR-VAC.
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