By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
Dr. Kebba Daffeh, a renowned veterinarian and leading advocate for animal welfare in the country, believes that the Department of Livestock Services should begin implementing the 2024 Animal Health Act. The National Assembly enacted the Act to protect the country’s animal resources for the benefit of future generations.
He spoke at the Gambia College on Monday, 3rd September 2024, on the sidelines of a four-day capacity-building workshop to train trainers on Animal Welfare that attracts participants, including lecturers from the Gambia College and the University of The Gambia.
According to him, the Animal Health Act, which the National Assembly enacted this year, explicitly mentions that the Department of Livestock Services should develop various regulations, including Animal Welfare regulations.
He said that formulating these regulations would go a long way in protecting the welfare of animals in the country despite the persistent cruelty to animals.
“Before the enactment of this Act, there were cruelty-to-animal regulations, but that Act was obsolete and didn’t provide the necessary animal protection. However, the new Animal Health Act has provided a clause for the Department of Livestock Services to develop adequate regulations to protect animals,” Dr. Kebba Daffeh disclosed.
He added, “The legislative framework is there, and we need to work on it and how to implement the regulations. We want this process to be prioritized since the Act has been passed; it’s about time for the implementation of the Act to be considered.”
Dr. Daffeh, who serves as the country coordinator of WTS Vets United, a global animal welfare advocacy group based in Germany, continues to call on the technicians at the Department of Livestock Services to expedite the process of formulating the necessary regulations to protect animal welfare.
He said animal welfare advocates were excited with Chapter 14 of the 2020 Draft Constitution developed by Dr. Cherno Jallow and his team at the Constitutional Review Commission, which explicitly deals with the protection of genetic resources, plants, and animals in the country and remains hopeful that the new draft constitution will still maintain that Chapter without any alteration.
“The insertion of Chapter 14 of the 2020 Draft Constitution was a good move that has put The Gambia among the rankings of few African countries that have explicitly mentioned animal welfare. The Chapter is very progressive; it talks about animals and plants’ genetic resources and the protection of flora and fauna; it is very progressive in giving people ownership of their natural resources; it was a noncontroversial clause during the initial process at the National Assembly, it was not contested, and we hope whatever comes out finally that Chapter will remain intact.
Ousman Sowe, Head of Agriculture at Gambia College, also addressed the training and said animal welfare is an important component of the school’s curriculum that the administration highly values.
He said that training trainers have provided animal science lecturers with skills, know-how, and knowledge that will help them deliver effectively to students pursuing animal welfare at the college.
Mr Abubakar Jallow, Principal of Gambia College, delivered the opening remarks on four training days, highlighting the importance of animal welfare and protection and urging the participants to make the best use of the opportunity. Vet United Germany sponsored the program in collaboration with Gambia College.
