Last week, the Standing Committee on Agricultural Affairs of the parliament visited the Asossa Animal Health Research Center (AAHRC) under the Animal Health Institute in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State. During their inspection on April 17, the committee confirmed that no meaningful work is currently being carried out at the facility. Despite being located in a livestock farming reliant region, AAHRC reported that it is not receiving the necessary support to fulfill its mandate. Originally established to help prevent and control the spread of diseases caused by Tsetse fly, the center is suffering from a severe lack of basic resources, including essential chemicals. The Standing Committee noted that the center’s remote forested location poses logistical challenges. However, they observed that the more pressing issue is the lack of institutional support from the Animal Health Institute, under which the center operates. In response, the committee issued a directive for immediate corrective action. Berhanu Itecha (PhD), Deputy Head of the Benishangul Gumuz Regional Agriculture Bureau, informed the committee that officials at the Animal Health Institute have shown little willingness to coordinate with the Asossa Center. He emphasized that the center’s staff have received no professional development or timely support, and that the institute has failed in its responsibility to implement disease control measures. Berhanu added that the situation has worsened since the 2022 merger that created the current Animal Health Institute, bringing together the former National Institute of Animal Health and the National Institute of Animal Health Research and Development. Since then, the Asossa Center has been left in a critical state with virtually no assistance from the parent institution. Teshome Kifle, a representative of the AAHRC, stressed that livestock is the region’s primary source of livelihood and reiterated that the center was established to address vector-borne diseases like Gendi (Animal trypanosomiasis). However, the center now faces acute shortages of professional staff, safety equipment, laboratory supplies, and chemical treatments. Teshome also said that the facility operates without fencing or adequate transportation, making it impossible to serve all 22 districts in the region. Staff are denied timely benefits and lack basic necessities such as office supplies and budgetary support. Fuel must be sourced from the black market, and the center was recently billed 600,000 birr for internet services, an expense it cannot afford. He concluded by telling the committee that without urgent intervention - including equipment, transportation, chemicals, and safety measures - the center cannot carry out its critical work to protect the region’s livestock and livelihoods.
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