The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has concluded a training programme aimed at boosting the entrepreneurial management skills of Veterinary Paraprofessionals (VPPs).
In a statement, the FAO said this initiative seeks to close the business skills gap and improve sustainable animal health services, particularly within communities.
The UN organisation said that the four-day training held at the College of Agriculture and Animal Science (CAAS), Division of Agricultural Colleges, Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna State targeted VPPs in the private sector and mentors within the catchment area.
“It builds on the first phase, implemented from 2021 to 2023, which identified business challenges and bottlenecks faced by VPPs in service delivery,” the statement added.
Dr. Gani Enahoro, FAO Senior Animal Health Specialist, speaking at the event emphasized that the capacity-building programme is designed to help VPPs develop and sustain businesses in preventive healthcare services.
“This is an opportunity to broaden their understanding and explore income-generating prospects within their professions,” he stated.
Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under the “Empowering Veterinary Paraprofessional Entrepreneurs” project, the programme includes a series of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) modules. These modules focus on business skills and combine online training with face-to-face workshops and practical field-based experiences.
The Rationale for Entrepreneurial Training
With a shortage of Veterinary Doctors, VPPs are pivotal in filling the gap and reaching rural livestock farmers. However, economic hardships and skill gaps present business challenges and bottlenecks for VPPs.
Dr. Harold Makeri, a senior Lecturer at CAAS and a trainer for the VPPs, noted that many VPPs graduated with limited understanding of community needs.
“The training helps them identify gaps and effectively address these needs, ensuring both the VPPs and communities benefit from the services rendered,” he explained.
Dr. Jerome Okpanachi, an Epidemiologist at Kwangila Primary Healthcare Zaria, highlighted that VPPs often serve in areas inaccessible to veterinarians. “For better animal health, VPPs must be motivated, supervised, and mentored,” he said.
Ogli Elamei, a practicing VPP with Technoserve also in Zaria, has realized that leveraging available opportunities is integral to service delivery.
“Consultations, feed management advice, and feed formulation are services that provide added income,” she stated.
With the objective of equipping the VPPs with the right capacity to benefit as they improve small-scale farmers’ access to quality animal health services, the training is the first in a series of four courses under “Growing your business through preventive healthcare.
“It features an intensive blended training approach with a mentoring package. Which also enabled the 25 VPPs and 13 mentors to have met face-to-face in the current phase of the project,” the statement added.
