Ouagadougou: More than 2 billion CFA francs will be mobilized for national campaigns for vaccination, deworming, artificial insemination, and digitization of livestock identification, which were launched on Saturday in Kombissiri under the chairmanship of the Minister of State, Minister in charge of animal and fisheries resources, Commander Isma«l Sombi.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the commune of Kombissiri, in the province of Baz¨ga, Nazinon region, hosted the national ceremony for the joint launch of the vaccination, deworming, artificial insemination, and digitization of animal identification campaigns, presided over by the Minister of State, Minister in charge of animal and fisheries resources, Comrade Commandant Isma«l Sombi. This initiative is part of the 2026-2028 agropastoral, hydraulic, and fisheries offensive.

For the Director General of Veterinary Services, responsible for budget program 082, Veterinary Captain Aboubacar Nacro, these campaigns aim at the health protection of livestock, the improvement of its genetic potential, and better control of animal mobility. According to comrade Nacro, significant efforts are being made by the State of Burkina Faso in subsidizing the prices of veterinary inputs, including vaccines, dewormers, and animal seeds, with the majority of vaccines being free, in order to facilitate access for the producers.

The intensification of vaccination campaigns has made it possible to increase the number of diseases covered, from four in 2022 to ten in 2025, including the vaccination of fish. According to the Minister Delegate in charge of Animal Resources, Comrade Amadou Dicko, several million animals are affected, including more than 18 million poultry, 5 million cattle, and more than 5 million small ruminants.

For artificial insemination, more than 100,000 cattle and 15,000 sows are involved. For this campaign, more than 300,000 cattle will be identified using electronic tools that will make it possible to recognize stolen animals, find lost herds, and identify their owners. "The entire operation of insemination, vaccination, and identification of animals will cost the national budget, for this 2026-2027 campaign, around 2 billion CFA francs," said Comrade Dicko.

In Kombissiri, the launch ceremony was marked by acts of artificial insemination of cows, vaccination and identification of animals, as well as by the symbolic handover of artificial insemination and vaccination equipment to the regional directorate in charge of animal and fisheries resources of Nazinon. The Minister of State, Minister in charge of animal and fisheries resources, Comrade Commander Isma«l Sombi, invited the producers to respect the Government's decisions regarding the sale of animals.

For Comrade Sombi, in view of the sacrifices made by the State, producers must prioritize national consumers. In view of the resources put towards animal resources, Veterinary Captain Aboubacar Nacro invited breeders to seize the opportunities offered by these campaigns to protect their animals, improve their productivity, and thus participate in the national effort to achieve animal sovereignty.