Summary of the P3V webinar (1/5): understanding the P3V Project, its objectives and key results

It is based on the introductory presentation by Dr Mariam Alhamdou, P3V Project Coordinator, who outlined the project’s implementation framework, its architecture and the major results achieved since its launch in 2020.

Who are veterinary paraprofessionals and why are they essential?

Veterinary paraprofessionals (VPPs) play a central role in animal health systems, particularly in areas where veterinary services remain limited.

As Dr Mariam Alhamdou, pointed out, their role is governed by the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, which authorises this cadre, under the supervision of a veterinarian, to perform a number of essential tasks.

In the field, VPPs are involved at various levels of the animal health chain. They participate in disease prevention and control, epidemiological surveillance, the implementation of vaccination campaigns, clinical care support, and the inspection of foodstuffs of animal origin.

Their work contributes directly to protecting animal health, but also to food safety and farmers’ livelihoods.

In many rural and remote areas, VPPs are often the first, and sometimes the only, point of contact between livestock farmers and veterinary services.

This proximity to the field explains the strategic importance attached to their professionalisation by the WOAH, with the support of the AFD, in order to improve livestock farmers’ access to quality veterinary services in the long term.

The P3V Project: a structured response to the challenges facing Veterinary Services

The Professionalisation of Veterinary Paraprofessionals (P3V) Project was launched in September 2020 to address a major challenge shared by several West African countries: strengthening the coverage and quality of Veterinary Services, particularly for the benefit of livestock farmers.

Implemented in Senegal, Togo and Benin, the Project aims to structure, supervise and promote the role of VPPs within national animal health systems. Initially planned to last four years, P3V has been extended twice. It is now scheduled to end in June 2026. This final implementation period will enable the consolidation of achievements, the strengthening of communication and the structuring of the capitalisation of lessons learned from its implementation.

The P3V is structured around five components, designed to respond to national realities and the needs of stakeholders in line with the specific objectives of the project:

• Component 0 – Diagnostic phaseThis phase involves analysing the territorial/geographical coverage of Veterinary Services and the demographics of professionals, and identifying gaps in coverage. It has resulted in the development of national strategies to strengthen the animal health network, which have now been validated in Senegal and Togo.
• Component 1 – Development of the institutional environmentThis component aims to strengthen the legislative and regulatory framework governing the exercise or practicing of VPPs, clarify their roles and improve consultation with veterinarians. Large-scale communication campaigns have been conducted, reaching several thousand livestock farmers through radio broadcasts, awareness-raising caravans and meetings in rural markets.
• Component 2 – Acquiring and strengthening skillsIn the three pilot countries, the Project supported the revision of six training curricula, the equipping of seven partner institutions, the training of teachers and VPPs, and the production of innovative teaching resources. The digitisation of the Animal Health Personnel Manual (Manuel à l’Usage du Personnel de Santé Animale, MUPSA), which was officially launched on 2 December 2025, marks a major step forward in the modernisation of training tools.
• Component 3 – Development of a sustainable socio-economic environment
  
  This component focuses on the professional integration and profitability of VPP activities. Coaching and monitoring mechanisms have been put in place to facilitate access to employment, particularly in Senegal and Togo.

• Component 4 – Project managementThis component ensures overall coordination, strategic monitoring and consultation between stakeholders, in particular through national coordination meetings and Steering Committee (Comité de Pilotage, COPIL) meetings bringing together AFD, WOAH, national Veterinary Services and partner institutions.

Tangible results after five years of implementation, the P3V project has achieved significant results:

1. Three PVS missions carried out in Senegal, Togo and Benin,
2. Six training curricula revised,
3. More than 1,500 people trained, including more than 300 women,
4. Two national strategies for strengthening the animal health network developed,
5. Two professional integration schemes turned operational
6. Thousands of livestock farmers made aware of the programme through communication initiatives

These results demonstrate the relevance of the P3V model and its potential for replication in other contexts.

Towards capitalising and transferring achievements

The extension of the Project until June 2026 will enable communication to be strengthened, lessons-learned-videos to be produced, impacts to be documented and the tools developed to be consolidated so that they can be transferred to other countries.

This initial webinar presentation thus laid the foundations for broader reflection on the sustainability of P3V, its lessons learned and the prospects for regional and international expansion.