Key Points
- Africa spends more than $500 million annually importing livestock drugs, according to Prof. Mathew Adamu.
- Growing antimicrobial resistance is making some commonly used veterinary medicines less effective.
- The professor urged universities and research institutions to explore indigenous medicinal plants for treating animal diseases.
- He called for collaboration between traditional animal-health practitioners and veterinary researchers.
- Adamu warned that blood-feeding parasites continue to cause livestock diseases, reduced productivity and economic losses.
Main Story
Africa spends more than $500 million annually importing livestock drugs, with some of the medicines becoming increasingly ineffective due to antimicrobial resistance, a Professor of Parasitology, Mathew Adamu, has said.
Adamu, a lecturer in the Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM), disclosed this on Wednesday during his inaugural lecture in Makurdi, Benue State.
The lecture, titled “Trinitas: Parasites, Plants and Patents – The Ethnoveterinary Odyssey,” examined the challenges facing livestock health and the potential of indigenous medicinal plants in developing alternative treatments for animal diseases.
According to the professor, Africa spends over $500 million (approximately N675 billion) every year importing veterinary medicines, including anthelmintics, acaricides and antimicrobials.
He expressed concern that despite the continent’s heavy dependence on imported livestock drugs, many of the medicines were gradually losing effectiveness because of growing resistance among disease-causing organisms.
Adamu lamented that Africa continued to spend heavily on imported medicines while overlooking the medicinal value of plants available within its forests and communities.
“While we spend money importing medicaments, our plants rot in our forests with huge potential, and our traditional knowledge dies with our elders, with the African Green Gold remaining untapped,” he said.
The professor explained that blood-feeding parasites posed a serious threat to livestock production, causing anaemia, weakness, reduced productivity and significant financial losses for farmers.
He added that the situation was becoming more difficult with the emergence of resistance to commonly used anthelmintic drugs, making the treatment and control of parasitic infections increasingly challenging.
The Issues
The growing resistance of disease-causing organisms to veterinary medicines presents a major challenge to Africa’s livestock industry.
Livestock farmers depend on medicines to control parasites, prevent infections and maintain animal productivity. However, when commonly used drugs become less effective, farmers may face higher treatment costs, increased animal losses and declining production.
Africa’s dependence on imported veterinary medicines also exposes its livestock sector to external supply challenges and limits opportunities for developing locally produced alternatives.
Adamu’s concerns highlight the need to strengthen veterinary research and explore the medicinal properties of indigenous plants.
Traditional knowledge, particularly concerning the use of local plants to treat animal diseases, could provide valuable research opportunities if properly documented, tested and developed into safe and effective veterinary products.
What’s Being Said
Adamu called on universities, veterinary research institutes and relevant government agencies to intensify research into indigenous medicinal plants as potential treatments for livestock diseases.
He also advocated stronger collaboration among traditional animal-health practitioners, veterinary professionals, pharmacologists, parasitologists, botanists and pharmaceutical researchers.
According to him, combining traditional knowledge with scientific research could help unlock Africa’s medicinal plant resources and reduce dependence on imported veterinary drugs.
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of JOSTUM, Prof. Isaac Itodo, said the university had recorded significant progress in its inaugural lecture series.
Itodo disclosed that the institution had presented only 35 inaugural lectures before he assumed office, but the number had increased to 104 under his administration.
He attributed the achievement to the support of the Chairman of the Governing Council and her team.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Inaugural Lecture Committee, Prof. Amana Onekutu, urged inaugural lecturers to concentrate on the substance of their presentations rather than peripheral issues.
Onekutu said maintaining this focus was necessary to preserve the academic tradition and integrity of inaugural lectures.
What’s Next
Adamu’s recommendations place greater responsibility on African universities and research institutions to investigate local medicinal resources and develop scientifically validated veterinary treatments.
Stronger partnerships between academic institutions, pharmaceutical researchers and traditional practitioners could help document indigenous knowledge, identify promising plants and establish their safety and effectiveness.
Government support for veterinary research and local pharmaceutical production will also be important in turning these opportunities into practical solutions for livestock farmers.
Bottom Line
Africa’s annual expenditure on imported livestock medicines raises important questions about the continent’s investment in veterinary research and local pharmaceutical development.
Prof. Adamu’s warning goes beyond the rising cost of imported drugs. It exposes the risk of depending on medicines that are gradually losing their effectiveness while valuable indigenous resources remain underexplored.
Developing locally researched and scientifically tested veterinary medicines could strengthen livestock production, reduce import dependence and create new opportunities for Africa’s pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.
