21 May 2026

There is need for stronger regional cooperation in order to combat the escalating Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis affecting the Southern Africa region.

This was said by Minister of Communications and Innovation, Mr David Tshere, who was standing in for acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti in his welcome remarks yesterday, during the tour of the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) by South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Mr Tshere said President Ramaphosa’s visit came at a critical time as Southern Africa battled a worsening FMD outbreak that had disrupted regional livestock trade, threatened livelihoods and placed heavy financial burdens on governments.

According to Minister Tshere, the current FMD crisis had exposed weaknesses in fragmented national responses to transboundary animal diseases.

Therefore, he highlighted the urgent need for harmonised regional intervention strategies.

The crisis, the minister said had also highlighted the failure of isolated national responses to disease containment.

“It underscores the need to treat transboundary animal diseases as shared regional challenges requiring coordinated action,” he said.

Established in 1978, as a leader in the research, manufacture and supply of animal vaccines, the minister said BVI was a strategic regional asset central to animal health, food security and livestock trade across sub-Saharan Africa.

Over the past four decades, he said the institute had positioned itself as one of Africa’s leading manufacturers of specialised vaccines, particularly FMD vaccines that had played a critical role in containing outbreaks and protecting regional livestock industries.

“Botswana Vaccine Institute has supplied millions of vaccine doses over a 45-year period, helping countries across the region safeguard livestock health and strengthen economic resilience,” he said.

“It is uniquely positioned as a manufacturer of fit-for-purpose vaccines, including highly effective FMD trivalent vaccines, which continues to produce exceptional results in disease control and outbreak containment,” he added.

Mr Tshere said rising demand for vaccines, during the current outbreak, had exceeded existing production capacity, prompting BVI to implement operational measures aimed at increasing vaccine output and improving responsiveness.

However, he stressed that long-term sustainability would require substantial regional investment in vaccine antigen banks to ensure faster production and rapid deployment during outbreaks.

Further, Minister Tshere called on Botswana and South Africa to deepen collaboration through enhanced disease surveillance systems, harmonised vaccination programmes, livestock traceability mechanisms and epidemiological information sharing.

He also highlighted the growing partnership between the BVI and South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council, describing it as a critical milestone in strengthening regional livestock health systems.

The collaboration, he said was expected to promote joint research initiatives, improve vaccine production capacity and enhance disease surveillance capabilities between the two neighbouring countries.

Additionally, Mr Tshere assured President Ramaphosa that Botswana remained committed to fostering a more proactive and integrated regional disease management framework through stronger bilateral and multilateral cooperation. ENDS