Togo, Senegal
Review of P3V Project national coordination meetings after four years of implementation in Senegal and Togo
June 26, 2024
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On 28 January 2025, the Professionalisation of Veterinary Paraprofessionals (P3V) project team organised a webinar to share information and experiences relating to the project’s achievements. Implemented by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) with financial support from the French Development Agency (AFD), the P3V project was launched in 2020 in Senegal, Togo, and more recently in Benin. Its main objective is to improve access to quality veterinary services for livestock farmers in French-speaking Africa by professionalising veterinary paraprofessionals (VPPs) and strengthening the capacities of national systems.
This webinar brought together more than 150 participants from French-speaking Africa and elsewhere and made it possible to:
• Present the main achievements of the project;
• Discuss the challenges and prospects of the project with stakeholders.
Beyond sharing experiences, the webinar enabled other French-speaking African countries to understand the achievements and best practices implemented during the project, so that they could draw inspiration from them and adapt these approaches to their own local realities and priorities.
The webinar opened with a presentation by Dr Mariam Alhamdou, Regional technical coordinator of the P3V project, who laid the groundwork by providing an overview of the project. Launched in 2020 and funded by the French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement, AFD), the Professionalisation of Veterinary Paraprofessionals (P3V) project is structured around five main components:
Dr Alhamdou then reviewed the project’s main achievements, including:
She also discussed the next steps, including capitalising on results, strengthening national strategies, and rolling out actions in Benin, which is planned for the final phase of the project.
During the webinar, Dr Laibané Dieudonné Dahourou, veterinarian, education expert and former Regional technical assistant for the P3V project, presented the PVS missions to support the revision and development of VPP training curricula implemented in Senegal and Togo. These missions aimed to revise the training programmes for veterinary paraprofessionals (VPPs) to better adapt them to the realities on the ground and to national and international health requirements.
Dr Dahourou reviewed the key stages of this process, which is based on the guidelines for VPPs training courses and the recommendations on VPPs skills, all developed by WOAH, in particular;
Through the cases of the National Training Centre for Livestock and Animal Industry Technicians (CNFTEIA) in Senegal, the Higher Institute of Agricultural Professions (ISMA) located in Kara, Togo, and the National Institute of Agricultural Training (INFA) in Tové, Togo, the expert highlighted several findings, including a lack of alignment between existing training programmes, depending on the institution, and the skills required in key areas such as veterinary public health, biosecurity and biosafety, veterinary legislation, animal welfare and the ‘One Health’ approach.
He also outlined the adjustments needed to introduce new modules and remove certain content that had become obsolete. He mentioned that, based on its experiences in Senegal and Togo, WOAH had developed a pilot PVS methodology for revising and developing VPP training curricula. All countries can request missions from delegates using the same approach as other PVS missions.
During the webinar, Dr Christian Dovonou, WOAH VPP expert, presented the results of a pioneering study conducted as part of the P3V project. This study, conducted on a national scale in Senegal and Togo, aimed to assess the veterinary workforce (demographics) and territorial network of animal health services.
Supported by figures and distribution maps, he highlighted several structural imbalances, including a concentration of veterinarians in urban areas, very limited coverage in rural areas, low representation of women (less than 15%), and a significant ageing of staff, particularly in the private sector. Another worrying finding was the growing presence of unqualified operators, particularly in remote areas, with all the risks that this entails for animal and public health.
Dr Dovonou also highlighted the lack of appropriate planning tools and statistical gaps that hinder effective management of veterinary human resources. In response, he proposed several projection scenarios for 2030, incorporating staffing needs according to different agroecological contexts and based on VLU (Veterinary Livestock Units) ratios per veterinarian or per VPP.
Furthermore, it was noted that these studies served as the basis for the joint development, with each country, of a strategy and action plan to strengthen the network of animal health professionals, which were validated at the national level. This presentation highlighted one obvious fact: to guarantee accessible, equitable and effective veterinary services, it is first necessary to assess needs and demand, map resources and develop strategies that are equal to the challenges.
The final presentation of the webinar highlighted a reality that is often overlooked: the place of women in animal health professions. Dr Fatou Ka, Director of the National Training Centre for Livestock and Animal Industry Technicians (CNFTEIA) in Saint-Louis, Senegal, presented the results of a study conducted as part of the P3V project on gender inequality within veterinary services in Senegal.
The study, which drew on data from training institutions, public and private veterinary organisations, and professional and livestock breeders’ associations, revealed that women are under-represented at all levels, particularly in terms of trained personnel, skill-based positions and decision-making bodies. While notable progress has been made with a slow increase in the number of women, their visibility remains limited and the obstacles numerous.
Dr Ka spoke candidly about the cultural, institutional and material barriers faced by female students and professionals, including discrimination during internships, restricted access to continuing education, infrastructure that is poorly adapted to women’s needs, and a lack of female role models in teaching and management positions.
In light of this observation, several courses of action have been proposed:
This intervention highlighted that the professionalisation of VPPs cannot be fully successful without the genuine and equitable integration of women, not only in training, but also in career paths, management roles and strategic decisions.
The question-and-answer session was one of the most dynamic parts of the webinar. It allowed participants, most of whom were from countries not directly involved in the project, to respond to the presentations, express their concerns on the ground, and suggest ways to strengthen the project’s impact.
Several questions focused on creating bridges between VPP training and veterinary training, particularly in relation to admission requirements for the EISMV. Others raised questions about the supervision of VPPs in the field, the professional recognition of zootechnicians, and the low demand for animal health services in certain rural areas, linked to a lack of trust among communities and the absence of a clear regulatory framework.
The possibility of implementing the P3V project in other countries, such as Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire or Guinea, was also discussed. Several participants expressed the wish that WOAH would support other Members in similar initiatives, emphasising that the challenges of professionalising VPPs are shared across the region.
During these discussions, a number of recommendations emerged:
