Africa-Press – Namibia. Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting its livestock industry and maintaining a strong focus on combating Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).
“Our government continues to monitor and implement the surveillance measures necessary to preserve livestock health, including vaccinating 320,000 cattle against Foot-and-Mouth Disease. Protocols have been established and put into practice following outbreaks of FMD in some of our neighbouring countries. This includes the official declaration of an FMD control area within Namibia’s FMD-free zone in //Kharas Region. This measure aims to protect Namibia’s FMD-free status and ensure continued access to international export markets,” the president said.
She made these comments during her recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), highlighting the strategic importance of the livestock sector. President Nandi-Ndaitwah noted that protecting this sector is essential for maintaining Namibia’s internationally recognised animal health status, ensuring continued access to major export markets including the European Union, China, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, the United States, and regional markets.
She emphasised that the livestock value chain is a cornerstone of the economy, as it represents the country’s largest agricultural employer, supporting around 70% of the population.
“The sector currently provides over 45,000 direct jobs in primary production and 12,000 high-value technical roles within export and processing facilities, making it a vital economic pillar for our country. It contributes 3.5% directly to GDP, increasing to 6.2% when including manufacturing and value addition, which clearly demonstrates our ‘Growth at Home’ strategy in action,” President Nandi-Ndaitwah added.
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