Uganda and Botswana are set to collaborate in the development of a vaccine for foot and mouth disease (FMD), a significant challenge to Uganda’s cattle industry.
The Botswana Vaccine Institute will assist Uganda in finding a long lasting solution to this disease.
This partnership was revealed during a meeting between President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Botswana scientists, and officials from Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation at State House, Entebbe, on Monday, February 19.
The initiative follows a bilateral meeting between Presidents Museveni and Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi of Botswana on January 22, 2024, at Speke Resort, Munyonyo, on the sidelines of the G77+ China Third South Summit.
Botswana Vaccine Institute scientists have already collected samples from affected cattle in Uganda, which will be used to develop the vaccine.
President Museveni expressed his appreciation for the collaboration and endorsed the partnership to produce the vaccine locally in Uganda.
Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze informed the President that scientists from Botswana Vaccine Institute agreed to partner with the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), to develop a vaccine to combat foot and mouth disease in Uganda.
The minister said they also convinced the delegation from Botswana to buy milk from Uganda, explaining that it is of high quality, and it is not from the affected areas where there is foot and mouth disease.
