Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba has called for stronger African and international efforts to eradicate peste des petits ruminants (PPR), warning that the livestock disease threatens household incomes, food security and trade across the continent.
Dr Nchemba said the campaign to eliminate the disease, commonly known as sheep and goat plague, should receive sustained financial and technical support because of its wider economic impact on communities that depend on small ruminants.
“The PPR eradication programme is not only an investment in animal health, but also an investment in food security, poverty reduction, livestock trade and strengthening the economic resilience of our people,” he said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks on Monday, September 21, 2026, while delivering a keynote address on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the opening of a three-day international conference on One Health and agrifood systems at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome.
He said Tanzania had made PPR control a national priority and was pushing for stronger regional action to eliminate the disease in Africa.
“PPR is not simply an animal health problem. For millions of livestock-keeping households, particularly those dependent on sheep and goats, it is a threat to food security, household incomes, trade and livelihoods,” Dr Nchemba said.
Tanzania vaccinated 16.8 million sheep and goats against PPR during the 2025/26 financial year, covering most of the 17.2 million animals targeted in high-risk areas, according to Dr Nchemba.
The government has allocated more than Sh30.8 billion for the second phase of the vaccination campaign in the 2026/27 financial year.
However, Dr Nchemba said vaccination alone would not be enough to eliminate the disease.
“Our experience has taught us a simple lesson: PPR cannot be eliminated through vaccination alone,” he said.
He said the campaign also required effective disease surveillance, diagnosis, animal monitoring, veterinary services, cooperation between countries and predictable long-term financing.
The call comes as African countries seek to coordinate disease-control measures in a livestock sector where animals and traders frequently move across national borders.
Tanzania hosted a regional PPR meeting in Dar es Salaam from September 14 to 16, bringing together seven countries from Southern, Central and Eastern Africa to strengthen efforts to control and eradicate the disease.
The meeting followed earlier regional discussions, including a PPR workshop held in Arusha in April 2026 that focused on harmonising ecosystem-based approaches to disease control in the Great Lakes region.
Dr Nchemba also linked the PPR campaign to the broader One Health approach, which recognises the connection between the health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems.
“For Tanzania, One Health is not just a policy concept but a call to action,” he said.
He said the approach required investment in systems capable of preventing diseases before they develop into major crises while protecting food supplies, natural resources and livelihoods.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said the One Health approach starts in places where people, animals and the environment interact, including farms, forests, rivers and oceans.
“One Health starts on farms, in barns, forests, rivers and oceans and wherever animals, plants and people share air, soil and water,” he said.
Mr Qu said environmental degradation could weaken crops and pasture and increase risks to people, animals and ecosystems, with consequences for nutrition and livelihoods.
He also warned that poor water quality could facilitate the transmission of pathogens between animals and people and increase reliance on antimicrobial medicines, contributing to antimicrobial resistance.
“We need to work holistically. Prevention and preparedness are essential—from healthy plants, healthy animals, safe water and healthy soils,” he said.
The conference brought together political leaders and ministers responsible for health, agriculture, food and the environment, who stressed that implementing One Health requires action beyond the health sector.
They called for coordinated participation by governments, the private sector, farmers, livestock keepers, researchers, young people, indigenous communities, civil society, financial institutions and citizens.