Tanzania’s livestock sector must raise its contribution to the national economy beyond the current six per cent by improving productivity and adding value to the country’s large animal population, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries has said.
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Fabian Magawa Madele, said Tanzania’s livestock wealth remained largely untapped despite the country having more than 40 million cattle and over 20 million goats.
He said greater use of research, innovation and technology was needed to turn the large livestock population into higher economic returns for farmers, livestock keepers and the country.
“Tanzania has more than 40 million cattle and over 20 million goats, in addition to other livestock,” Dr Madele said.
He was speaking at the 43rd awards ceremony of Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), where he challenged graduates and researchers to develop solutions that could help transform the livestock and agriculture sectors.
Dr Madele said increasing value addition to livestock products would be critical in expanding the sector’s contribution to the economy.
Rather than relying mainly on livestock numbers, he said, the country needed to focus on productivity and processing to generate greater value from meat, milk, hides, skins and other livestock products.
He said SUA had a critical role in producing professionals and research that could address challenges facing the agriculture and livestock industries.
“As a graduate of SUA, I recognise the important role the university plays in producing professionals and generating knowledge that can help transform our key economic sectors,” he said.
The university awarded 242 prizes to 205 students for outstanding performance in academics, leadership and research.
SUA Vice Chancellor Professor Raphael Chibunda said 214 of the awards were for academic excellence, while 23 recognised leadership and five were for research.
He said 45 students received more than one award, reflecting their strong performance across different areas of university life.
Prof Chibunda urged the award winners to maintain the standards they had demonstrated at university as they move into their professional careers.
Dr Madele told the winners not to view the awards as the end of their journey, but as a starting point for greater responsibilities and opportunities.
He urged them to use their knowledge to address real-world challenges, while maintaining innovation, discipline and integrity.
“Above all, use your knowledge to serve the people and build our nation,” he said.
The awards were presented as SUA prepares for its 48th graduation ceremony, where 3,309 students are expected to graduate from 69 academic programmes.