The Gambia is set to host the office of the Regional Project on Sustainable Management of Endemic Ruminant Livestock in West Africa (PROGEBE).

The project will be officially launched by His Excellency, the president of the Republic of The Gambia, Professor Dr Alhagie Yahya Jammeh, on Saturday 24 January 2009, according to a press release from the Department of State for Agriculture.

The launching of the project will be preceded by a workshop at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Senegambia, Kololi, which will kick-off today, 20 January 2009 and end on 23 January 2009. The release added that the workshop is organised with the assistance of the Office of the President, the Departments of State for Agriculture and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of The Gambia, and the International Trypanotolerance Centre (ITC).

According to the release, the workshop will provide the forum for "communication, exchange and building of the project team, partnerships and synergies within the framework of the implementation of PROGEBE's programs". The workshop will be attended by the ministers in charge of livestock of The Gambia, Guinea, Mali and Senegal, members of the regional steering committee, PROGEBE experts, donors, partners and beneficiaries of the project.

The release further explained that PROGEBE was born of the will of The Gambia, Guinea, Mali and Senegal to preserve and enhance the productivity of their endemic ruminant livestock. Due to population pressure, drought and anthropic action (deforestation, agriculture, bushfires, etc), genetic traits of trypanotolerant livestock breeds are under increasing threat of dilution and exotic livestock breeds are invading the natural habitat of trypanotolerant livestock.  

Therefore, PROGEBE aims at preserving and strengthening in a sustainable manner, the genetic traits of endemic livestock, increasing its productivity and exploitation within an enabling physical and institutional environment. The project is funded mainly by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).  It is executed by the International Trypanotolerance Centre (ITC) for the AfDB and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for GEF.

The main project partners are ministries and research institutes in charge of livestock in the four member countries: ITC in The Gambia; Agricultural Research Institute of Guinea (IRAG); Institute of Rural Economy (IER) in Mali and the Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute (ISRA); ILRI based in Nairobi, Kenya; CIRDES based in Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso and FAO.

The regional coordination unit is hosted by ITC in Banjul.  In each country, the project operates through a national coordination unit.