Dike Onwuamaeze
The Boehringer Ingelhein of Germany, a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, is partnering with GALVmed and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to raise awareness on animal disease prevention and treatments among smallholder farmers in Nigeria and five other African countries.
Boehringer Ingelheim’s has also reached over 40,000 smallholder farmers in six Sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, with its LastMile Initiative to them on the prevention of animal diseases by leveraging on access to veterinary medicine.
The initiative is aimed at bridging the gap (“last mile”) in access, availability, and awareness of animal healthcare solutions in hard-to-reach areas and also to improve productivity and income generation for the local communities.
LastMile, which was launched in 2018 as an initiative of the Boehringer Ingelheim in partnership with the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed), is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to support smallholder farmers in Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia.
It has also enabled 56 product registrations in these countries as well as Uganda and Tanzania to facilitate access to more treatment options for farmers and veterinarians.
The Project Lead for LastMile at Boehringer Ingelheim, Mr. Tiago Teixeira, said: “LastMile is a sustainable model for smallholder farmers with a positive impact on vulnerable communities. It supports our commitment towards improving the health and wellbeing of animals by increasing disease awareness and improving access to animal medicine.”
Tiago explained that animal technicians from local communities are playing crucial roles in demonstrating product usage and providing education to smallholder farmers on prevention and treatment options.
Also the Head of Sustainable Development – For Generations at Boehringer Ingelheim India, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Mr. Ayman Eissa, said: “At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are committed to address global health challenges in developing countries and improve animal health. With our LastMile initiative, we aim to strengthen smallholder farmers’ income and productivity, highlight the importance of disease prevention to ensure food security, and drive sustainable businesses that are integrated into the wider economy in Africa.”
Boehringer Ingelheim said that its animal health products and services are based on first-in-class innovation for the prediction, prevention, and treatment of diseases in animals.
