Akwa Ibom State has commenced a four-day technical review of its Draft Animal Health Bill to strengthen disease surveillance, food safety, and coordination between animal and human health systems
The meeting, which runs from December 2nd to 5th in Uyo, brings together officials from the State Government, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) and Orixine Consulting.
Stakeholders say the legislation is needed to modernise outdated laws and address gaps identified in the 2024 Akwa Ibom Legal Assessment Report, including weak notification systems, limited laboratory capacity and poor coordination across sectors.
Dr Teddy Essien, Director of Veterinary Services, who represented the Commissioner for Agriculture, said the state must update its laws to “ensure accountability, improve coordination, and achieve better disease prevention outcomes.”
Barr Emmanuel Essien, Director of Legal Drafting at the Ministry of Justice, said the ongoing reform reflects “positive development within the State,” stating that the ministry has been part of the process from inception.
Concerns over food safety also featured in the discussions.
On her part, Mrs Charity Jonah of the Ministry of Trade and Investment warned about the increasing misuse of chemicals in markets, urging stakeholders to tighten regulatory provisions.
RTSL’s Senior Technical Advisor on Event-Based Surveillance, Dr Rabi Usman, said stronger legislation was needed, noting that many emerging human diseases are zoonotic.
She said the organisation is supporting similar reforms in Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Enugu, Ogun, Nasarawa and Cross River.
Orixine Consulting’s Barr. Aniekan Akpan described the review as a “bold step” toward improving the state’s public and animal health laws.
Stakeholders are expected to harmonise provisions for strengthened surveillance systems, mandatory disease reporting, regulation of abattoirs, animal movement control and One Health coordination.
The final draft and a legislative roadmap will be submitted to the State Executive Council at the end of the meeting on Friday.
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