Unveiling a new vision for animal breeding in Africa

The African Animal Breeding Network (AABNet), a new platform for animal breeding professionals to advance livestock genetic improvement in Africa, was unveiled at a side event during the inaugural CGIAR Science Week that took place in Nairobi, Kenya from 7-11 April 2025.

Chinyere Ekine-Dzivenu, a statistical geneticist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), moderated the session.

Opening remarks

In his opening remarks, Appolinaire Djikeng, ILRI director general and CGIAR senior director of livestock-based systems, acknowledged the collaborative effort behind the establishment of AABNet.

He thanked various individuals from ILRI, Egerton University, Scotland's Rural College, and the University of Edinburgh, noting the key role of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) in setting up the platform.

The vision for a network to build capacity in animal breeding in Africa was first mooted at a meeting in Ghana in 2018. The actualization of that vision is described in a 2025 paper in Nature Genetics.

He emphasized the importance of genetic improvement in addressing the animal health and nutrition challenges that beset the African livestock sector, and highlighted the two main purposes of AABNet, namely, to build capacity and to maximize on animal genetic resources in the Global South.

Harnessing the potential of livestock diversity

Mizeck Chagunda, director of CTLGH and chair of tropical livestock genetics at the University of Edinburgh, presented on how AABNet can improve livestock production in Africa by harnessing the potential of livestock diversity on the continent.

He argued that while feeding and nutrition are important, having the right genetics is crucial for the strategic survival of livestock farms.

'The wrong genetics on any farm is costly,' he said, observing that the wrong livestock genetics can lead to inefficiencies such as methane emissions, overuse or misuse of water, and production of nitrous oxide from the production system.

'There is really a responsibility for us to transform the food system, using livestock genetics, in order to make sure that those inefficiencies are taken out of the system.' - Mizeck Chagunda

The vision of AABNet is to drive the development and dissemination of livestock improved genetics and broader genetic improvement solutions in Africa.

Why AABNet matters

• Demand for livestock-derived food in Africa is projected to increase by 80% between 2010 and 2030.
• Animal breeding by importing genes makes the wrong assumption that one breed fits all environments.
• African countries have not fully harnessed the power of crossbreeding.
• There are very few established breeding programs on the continent because of the high level of investment and volume of records needed.

AABNet can play tangible roles in multi-country genetic evaluations; professional development; advocacy, awareness, and business development; and collaboration, networking, and partnerships.

'Genetics, data, smart technologies, and collaboration are the roots for resilient and transformative African livestock production systems. AABNet is the thread that ties all this together.' - Mizeck Chagunda

Vision 2063

A presentation by Raphael Mrode, ILRI principal scientist in quantitative dairy cattle genetics, elaborated on how AABNet can be used as a data capturing platform and to build capacity for multi-country African livestock genetic evaluation and sustainable gains.

In his presentation, he outlined his vision of Africa in the year 2063 and the roles of the Africa Asia Dairy Genetics Gains (AADGG) project, CTLGH, and AABNet in actualizing the vision.

'What I would like to see in 2063 is that we have an efficient, multi-country African livestock genetic improvement system.' - Raphael Mrode

This system would deliver sustainable genetic gains, supported by digital data capture and a technically competent workforce.

He further elaborated on the three interlocking blocks that will be needed to drive livestock genetic improvement: the data system (involving AADGG and CTLGH), the evaluation pipeline (CTLGH and AABNet), and the delivery.

'Supporting this evaluation pipeline is the evaluation unit and the research team, and this is where capacity development is very critical.' - Raphael Mrode

Future directions

In the future, Mrode envisions digital tools that provide farmers with real-time actionable insights into animal production, breeding, nutrition, and health.

Additionally, new digital technologies such as predictive analytics and artificial intelligence will add value and help scale digital farm support.

AABNet and CTLGH will play key roles in facilitating institutional capacity building through curriculum review and delivery.

Takeaway messages

Appolinaire Djikeng concluded the side event with the following 10 key takeaway messages.

1. The livestock sector is a vital component of agriculture.
2. Animal breeding is important to build prosperity.
3. We need to build capabilities alongside capacity.
4. Institutions need to launch animal genetic evaluation services.
5. Investment is vital.
6. We need policy and advisory services.
7. Involve diverse stakeholders from different disciplines.
8. Research and development should drive innovation.
9. Proactively manage intellectual property rights and access-benefit sharing.
10. Advocate for the AABNet platform.

Watch the side event recording on YouTube

Header photo: Chickens in Ethiopia. (credit: ILRI/Camille Hanotte)

Written by Tezira Lore, Communication Officer, ILRI.