Tanzania is accelerating its fight against livestock diseases through an ambitious national programme for animal vaccination and identification. Valued at 216 billion Tanzanian shillings, the five-year plan aims to protect herds, improve productivity, strengthen surveillance and expand market access for livestock products.
Tanzania is seeking to make animal health a major driver of livestock sector transformation. In Arusha, during a national workshop on livestock vaccines and vaccination, authorities reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening vaccination programmes, improving Veterinary Services and better controlling animal diseases that continue to limit livestock productivity.
The national livestock vaccination and identification programme is valued at 216 billion Tanzanian shillings, approximately USD 86 million. It is part of a five-year strategy aimed at reducing the impact of priority diseases, strengthening animal traceability and improving access to markets.
Diseases that continue to affect livestock keepers
The livestock sector plays an important role in Tanzania’s economy, but its full potential is still constrained by several high-impact animal diseases. Key threats include peste des petits ruminants (PPR), foot-and-mouth disease, brucellosis and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.
These diseases reduce meat and milk production, weaken household incomes, threaten food security and limit access to regional and international markets.
For livestock keepers, disease is not only a veterinary issue. It means animal losses, additional expenses, lower productivity and, in many cases, reduced opportunities to sell animals or livestock products at better prices. This is why vaccination, surveillance and animal identification are becoming essential tools to secure rural livelihoods.
A structured national campaign
The Tanzanian programme aims to increase vaccination coverage against priority diseases and improve vaccination services across the country’s 184 local government authorities.
The first phase focuses in particular on the control of PPR, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, sheep and goat pox, Newcastle disease and avian influenza, while also strengthening vaccine distribution systems.
According to FAO, the national campaign aims to support the elimination of PPR and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, as well as the control of Newcastle disease and other priority livestock diseases by 2030. The approach combines vaccination, electronic animal identification and registration in a national digital platform.
PPR at the centre of the regional agenda
Tanzania holds a strategic position in the fight against PPR in Africa. Located between East and Southern Africa, the country shares borders with several countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
For this reason, progress in Tanzania goes beyond national borders. Effective vaccination of small ruminants can help reduce the risk of PPR spread to neighbouring countries and support the continental and global goal of eradicating the disease by 2030.
FAO has reported that, following the launch of the campaign, more than 17 million small ruminants had already been vaccinated against PPR in 14 regions, with technical support from the Organization and vaccine dose donations.
A key role for the private sector
Tanzanian authorities recognise that a sustainable vaccination programme cannot depend on the public sector alone. The government is therefore calling for stronger participation from vaccine manufacturers, distributors, private veterinarians, livestock keepers’ organisations, financial institutions and development partners.
During a multi-stakeholder workshop on ruminant vaccination in Arusha, the government called on the private sector to invest more in the production, importation, storage and distribution of veterinary vaccines.
The objective is to make vaccines more accessible, affordable and available in the areas where livestock keepers need them most.
This direction is important for African countries. In many rural areas, access to vaccines remains limited by cost, distance, supply shortages, weak cold-chain systems or the lack of nearby veterinary service providers.
Identification, traceability and market access
Beyond vaccination, Tanzania is also investing in livestock identification and traceability. Animal identification helps track movements, improve disease surveillance, document health interventions and strengthen the certification of animals and livestock products.
Tanzanian authorities consider traceability an important condition for market access, animal movement management, sanitary certification and livestock value chain development.
For livestock keepers, this shift can open new commercial opportunities. An animal that is identified, vaccinated and monitored through a reliable system has greater value in a market where sanitary requirements are becoming increasingly strict.
A model for the region?
Tanzania’s plan shows that an animal health programme can be designed as an economic investment, not only as a sanitary expenditure. By protecting animals, the country is also protecting livestock keepers’ incomes, rural jobs, food security, nutrition and trade.
However, the success of the programme will depend on several conditions: continuous vaccine availability, product quality, mobilisation of public and private veterinarians, awareness among livestock keepers, sustainable financing, epidemiological surveillance, animal movement control and data sharing between stakeholders.
For Africa, Tanzania’s experience will be closely watched. If implemented with rigour, it could become a regional reference for mass vaccination, digital traceability and public-private partnership in animal health.
On a continent where transboundary animal diseases continue to threaten livestock systems, Tanzania is sending a clear message: investing in animal health means investing in food security, trade, rural resilience and the future of African livestock.
