December 24, 2024

 

Zoetis part of partnership to drive disease surveillance in Sub-Saharan African tilapia farms

 

 

 

Zoetis and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) recently announced a strategic partnership to advance disease surveillance in tilapia farms across Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

This collaboration is part of the African Livestock Productivity and Health Advancement (ALPHA) Plus initiative, funded by Zoetis and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

The aquaculture objectives of the ALPHA Plus initiative are focused on building an understanding of the fish health needs of tilapia farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This will help identify appropriate solutions for preventative fish health management to support the sustainable growth of African aquaculture and improve food security in the region. 

 

Dr. Ben North, who leads the aquaculture components of the ALPHA Plus initiative for PHARMAQ, the aquaculture health business of Zoetis, said: "We are excited to collaborate with NMBU on this important project that enables us to start understanding the fish health needs of tilapia producers on the African continent.

 

By combining PHARMAQ's capabilities with NMBU's experience built through working in Africa together with their network of Institutional partners, both organisations can begin the process of making their fish health solutions available to tilapia farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, PHARMAQ said.

 

The partnership also recognises the huge potential of aquaculture to improve livelihoods in Africa and aligns with Zoetis' purpose of nurturing the world by advancing care for animals.

 

In a joint statement, Professors Øystein Evensen and Stephen Mutoloki, the lead scientists from NMBU, said: "We both look forward to working on this collaboration, which aligns well with research and training programmes that we are already involved in on the African continent."

 

The ALPHA Plus initiative is a five-year programme launched by Zoetis and supported by a $15.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

The initiative aims to improve livestock health and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa by focusing on the production of dairy and beef cattle, poultry, and aquaculture.


- PHARMAQ

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