The Regional Project on Sustainable Management of Endemic Ruminant (PROGEBE), on Thursday, October 8th, donated equipment worth over D1.5 million to the International Trypanotolorance Centre (ITC), at a ceremony held at the ITC office premises in Kerr Serign.

The donated equipment included a Land-Rover Defender station wagon, 2 motorcycles, and 4 desktop computers. Speaking at the occasion, Bakary B. Trawalley, permanent secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, informed the gathering of a component under PROGEBE that has the provision to support ITC research stations. PS Trawalley labelled mobility as a constraint requiring support. He said the Keneba Research Station will also be rehabilitated in terms of infrastructure, and that the process has already started. He assured that PROGEBE will revive and support ITC to be able to effectively implement the breeding programme on endemic ruminant livestock.

According to him, ITC has been implementing a pure breeding programme on endemic ruminant livestock (N'Dama cattle, Dallonke sheep and West African dwarf goat) since the early 1990s. He futher disclosed that the computers will be very useful in data analysis, which he described as a vital component in the selection of improved animals to be identified for dissemination to farmers.

Also speaking at the occasion was the regional coordinator of PROGEBE, Dr Moustapha Diaw, who informed the gathering of some of the activities of the project. According to him, a regional expert in capacity building and institutional development was hired in March 2009 by the project and posted at the ITC to reinforce its staff's capacity. He said this has contributed significantly to the functioning of the ITC and in changing the outlook of its premises.

PROGEBE was born out of the good will of The Gambia, Guinea, Mali and Senegal, to preserve and enhance the productivity of their endemic ruminant livestock. It is funded by the African Development Bank (ADB) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with its main partners as ministries and research institutes in charge of livestock in the four-member state.