Projects

Strategies and development programmes,Expertise and research work,

A Short-term Consultancy to Finalise the Project Proposal of ’Post PACE Activities in the Sudan to be funded from STABEX

Sudan

The European Commission in Sudan

Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries - Government of Sudan

The acronym PACE stands for ‘Pan-African Control of Epizootics’, and EC funded regional programme implemented through AU/IBAR in about 30 African countries which will end in October 2006. The PACE programme has the overall objective of reducing poverty of those involved in livestock farming by improving animal productivity, trade of animals and its commodities, and food security. The project purpose is: 1.Strengthening the capacity at national level to assess the technical and economical aspects of animal diseases and to generate appropriate programmes for their control; 2.Safeguarding of animal health in the country against major epizootics. The life span of the PACE programme was considered to be five years from November 1999 to October 2004. However, because so many countries had fallen behind their OIE pathway schedules, it was decided to give a two year extension to the PACE Programme until October 2006. The Sudan entered very late into the PACE Programme. Because at this time the South of the country was affected by warfare with areas outside Government control, the PACE Sudan project was implemented as a national project consisting of two sub-projects: one for the government operation areas – the northern sub-project; and another one for the non-government operation areas – the southern sub-project. The southern sub-project started in November 2001 and has largely operated through NGOs, with overall coordination being managed by VSF Belgium from Nairobi, Kenya. The northern sub-project commenced in February 2003, managed by a PMU, and supervised and implemented by the Federal Department of Animal Health and Epizootic Diseases Control, Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries in Khartoum. Despite the late start, the PACE Sudan project has performed well. The two sub-projects have been managed well and kept very closely to the required time schedule. Great efforts and investments were made by the PACE management to strengthen the existing national epidemio-surveillance system. Advanced methodologies of disease surveillance were applied and the laboratory capacity for diagnosis of priority diseases, particularly the diagnosing of rinderpest, was improved. As a significant step towards the eradication of rinderpest, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) approved in May 2005 that a zone of Sudan is recognized as ‘free from rinderpest disease’. It is expected that the southern part of Sudan will be also recognized by the OIE as “free from rinderpest disease” in 2006. However, the final step of rinderpest eradication, the verification of freedom from rinderpest infection, will earliest be achieved in 2008 provided that no rinderpest disease or virus will be detected, and all activities of the OIE pathway will be executed completely and timely. Clearly therefore, Sudan could not hope to complete the five year programme of the rinderpest OIE pathway within the lifetime of PACE, even with the two years of PACE extension ending at 31st October 2006. It is absolutely imperative that donor assistance is continued, as now, until the rinderpest pathway is completed and official OIE recognition of Sudan’s status as “Free from Rinderpest Infection” is granted. Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (GOSS) have applied for the co-funding of a new four-year project from STABEX funds with the aim - to complete the eradication of rinderpest, - to sustain the national epidemio-surveillance network, and - to support the effective control of other priority animal diseases in the Sudan. The new project will be composed of two sub-projects, each with its own budget and separate implementation mechanisms. Both sub-projects have similar objectives and period of implementation, and will be supervised and coordinated by a National Steering Committee. It is envisaged that the project will be divided into two phases of (2) years of operation each, starting on 1st August 2006 and ending on 31st July 2010 To provide decision makers in the Sudanese Government and the European Commission with sufficient information to justify the acceptance, modification or rejection of an animal health project proposal, and if deemed feasible, adequate information on which to proceed to conclude a financing agreement.

Start date: 2006-05-01

End date: 2006-06-30