• Chad, possessing one of Africa's largest livestock populations, aims to modernize its sector to increase meat and milk production.

• Chadian Livestock Minister Abderahim Awat Atteib met with his Egyptian counterpart to explore cooperation, focusing on genetic improvement, feed optimization, and veterinary vaccine production.

• This initiative aligns with Chad's "Chad Connexion 2030" National Development Plan, which targets increasing national milk production to 1 million tons.

Chad, with an estimated livestock population exceeding 129 million, possesses one of Africa's largest herds. As part of its National Development Plan, the government aims to modernize its livestock sector to increase the production of derived products like meat and milk.

Chad intends to leverage cooperation with Egypt to modernize its livestock sector. In this context, Abderahim Awat Atteib, Chadian Minister of Livestock, met with his Egyptian counterpart for Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, in Cairo on November 16. They discussed new avenues for sector cooperation.

According to local media Daily News Egypt, discussions primarily focused on opportunities to expand collaboration in animal production. The objective involves utilizing Egyptian expertise in genetic improvement and feed optimization to enhance meat and dairy yields within Chad's industry.

The officials also discussed the potential establishment of an Egyptian laboratory in Chad to produce veterinary vaccines and serums. This initiative would meet local and regional demand. The project would also include a transfer of skills and additional training for Chadian technicians and specialists at the Egyptian International Centre for Agriculture.

This announcement follows N'Djamena's official launch of its "Chad Connexion 2030" National Development Plan (NDP) on November 10. Under this five-year development plan, the government has set a goal to increase national milk production to 1 million tons, up from 477,111 tons recorded in 2023.

The decision to strengthen cooperation with Egypt in the sector proves particularly strategic given Egypt's standing as a benchmark in African animal production. According to the FAO, the North African nation ranks as the second-largest African meat producer after South Africa, with 3.1 million tons of carcasses produced in 2024. It also holds the position of second-largest African producer of milk and dairy products after Kenya, with nearly 5.6 million tons recorded in the same year.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum