West African countries are developing a regional programme worth more than $345 million to tackle livestock theft, a long-standing problem that threatens security, livelihoods, and public health across the subregion.
According to Ecofin Agency, the initiative was announced in Dakar at the opening of a workshop organised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which brought together representatives from all 15 member states between February 9 and 12.
The programme, which still requires formal approval, is expected to run from 2026 to 2030.
It will focus on three main areas: digitising livestock traceability systems, harmonising judicial and security frameworks across countries, and ensuring the formal involvement of pastoral communities and professional organisations in early warning systems, prevention efforts, and awareness campaigns.
“The workshop brings together representatives from ministries in charge of livestock, agriculture, security and justice, as well as pastoral organizations, regional and international institutions, academia and the private sector, particularly in livestock traceability,” Senegal’s Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.
“This broad participation underscores a strong commitment to building a multisectoral, coordinated and sustainable response.”
Livestock theft has long been a serious and well-documented challenge in West Africa.
It is driven by rural insecurity, weak or non-existent animal traceability systems, poor enforcement of laws, and the involvement of criminal networks and armed groups.
An October 2025 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said livestock theft is used by several violent extremist organizations (VEOs), including Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), to finance their activities.
According to the report, stolen animals are commonly sold in the tri-border area linking Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire.
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“Thousands of heads of livestock, stolen from conflict hotspots in central Mali or northern Burkina Faso, are transported across this zone to be sold in markets in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana through intermediaries,” the report said.
“This system allows JNIM to profit from major livestock markets in these coastal states.”
FAO estimates show that livestock theft causes annual losses of more than $467 million in West Africa, making it a criminal market that is difficult to control and highly damaging to pastoral livelihoods and livestock production systems.
Senegal has taken several steps to address the issue, including setting up a Livestock Theft Task Force (CLVB) in 2013, deploying specialised brigades within rural gendarmerie units across the country, and passing a 2017 law that criminalises livestock theft with prison sentences ranging from five to 10 years.
Despite these measures, the problem persists. FAO estimates that livestock farmers in Senegal lose between 22,000 and 30,000 cattle, sheep, and goats each year, resulting in losses of about $3.2 million.
Beyond economic and social damage, livestock theft also presents public health risks.
FAO says stolen animals often end up in informal and illegal slaughter networks at both national and cross-border levels, increasing the risk of contamination from zoonotic diseases due to unregulated slaughter practices.
West African governments argue that livestock theft cannot be effectively addressed by individual countries acting alone, as the crime easily crosses borders.
It remains unclear whether the proposed regional programme will bring renewed momentum to the fight against livestock theft at a time when livestock trade remains a crucial economic pillar for both coastal and Sahelian countries.
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Image Credit: Farm4Trade Suite
