A Path to Prosperity New Directions for African Livestock

GALVmed is constantly thinking about
sustainability. For example, when assessing
research, the end product use and its
commercialisation are also examined.
This downstream approach requires good
understanding of value chains, networking
and partnership.
> GALVmed's “portfolio approach,” is proving
to be highly successful. Using experienced staff
and consultants, GALVmed reviews a menu of
available opportunities to solve a particular
problem, whether it be a new vaccine, medicine
or policy. GALVmed then works in a very
transparent manner with those organisations
best equipped or mandated to research or solve
that problem, whilst linking the anticipated
solution to the next step in a sequence that will
eventually benefit poor livestock farmers, small
businesses and national economies. This value
chain approach requires a vision, excellent
understanding of key technical and policy
bottlenecks, the ability to approach all
stakeholders in a transparent and open manner,
to advocate for change and convening power.
> GALVmed invests in maintaining close contact
with farmers and listens to their expectations
first.
> GALVmed staff are a vital asset who bring long
years of experience. The staff have varied back
grounds and complementary skills. The Chief
Executive, Steve Sloan, has been instrumental in
helping the organisation grow, following a career
in voluntary sector management. He is supported
by a team of directors, assistant directors and
consultants, whose experience ranges from
chief scientific officer of a major African
research laboratory, to senior government
officers in Africa and south Asia, representatives
of regional development organisations,
pharmaceutical, advertising and
communications industry representatives, legal
and intellectual property experts, ex donors and
a range of animal health specialists.
For a latest list of GALVmed's portfolio of projects
and achievements, it’s best to check their web site
and most recent newsletter. Recent reported
achievements included:
> Increasing the profile and membership of the
Community Animal Health Network (CAHNET)
through partnership working with FARM-Africa.
> Providing critical support to the Africa Union
livestock vaccine centre in Malawi to enable
the centre to manufacture and supply
quality-assured East Coast fever vaccine
throughout the region in a sustainable manner,
and helping secure an additional US$ 6.9million
grant from the European Commission to
strengthen vaccine labs in Botswana, Cameroon,
DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali and Senegal.
> Bringing new skills, through the Pfizer
Fellowship Program, three experts in different
aspects of vaccine production and marketing
have been seconded to GALVmed for six months.
> Linking experts across the continent through
compilation of a database of veterinary vaccine
regulatory authorities and developing a global
database of veterinary vaccines in an innovative
partnership with the Innocul8 team at the
Moredun Research Institute, Scotland.
> Organising the first Pan-African meeting of
veterinary vaccines regulators in collaboration
with OIE and brokering an agreement that
mutual recognition should be the first step
towards harmonisation and formulating
roadmaps for technical and political support
at all levels.
> Developing and using a robust model for
exploiting intellectual property and obtaining
Freedom to Operate for the benefit of poor
livestock keepers.
> Increasing the awareness of financial incentives,
such as Advanced Market Commitments, to
stimulate investment in animal health by the
private and public sector.
> Demonstrating proof-of-concept for a combination
vaccine for Rift Valley fever and starting registration
trials; developing the most appropriate formulation
of oxfendazole for the treatment of porcine
cysticercosis and successfully conducting animal
trials for registration; and driving the process
that led to the first registration of the East Coast
fever Infection and Treatment Method (ECF-ITM)
vaccine in Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania.
> Supporting and expanding delivery systems: for
example, following the success of VetAgro
Tanzania Ltd, which has been vaccinating
against ECF using ITM in the pastoral areas of
Tanzania since 1998, GALVmed is also developing
and implementing models for sustainable delivery
of Newcastle disease vaccine in Africa and Asia.
The Impetus Strategy Paper I Page 62