Narrative Report II Phase 01-11-04 to 31-03-05.

During this period, the Project activities focused on completion of plans for the implementation of the Master Plans and the endorsement and enactment of the Veterinary Law Code in Puntland and Somaliland. Two workshops were held to develop plans, milestones and timetables for implementation of the Master Plan in Puntland. Similarly two workshops were held to discuss the Veterinary Law Code: the first workshop was held to sensitise a wider audience of livestock stakeholders on the drafted veterinary law-code, its importance regarding animal health, disease control and livestock trade while the second workshop was used to develop time-tables and plans for presentation of the veterinary code to the council of ministers for endorsement and to members of parliament for enactment. Following the presentation of the Master Plan to the Minister and senior staff for Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Environment (MoLAE), the minister endorsed the Master Plan and the Institutional Procedure and regulations for MoLAE as working documents for the ministry. Implementation of the Master Plan are underway, the Minister has requested the relevant authorities to allocate the ministry more fund so that the process of recruiting various cadre of staff in the Ministry can commence (Annex I Appendix I). The Minister has proposed and forwarded names of twelve livestock professional for employment as district veterinary officers and regional veterinary coordinators. Based on the timetables and plans developed for the Veterinary Law Code, the Minister for Livestock, Agriculture and Environment presented the veterinary code to the Council of Ministers in February. Three weeks later the Council of Ministers endorsed the veterinary law code for Puntland. The process for presentation of the code to the Members of Parliament is on going and the code will be discussed once parliament reconvenes in June 2005. Similar workshops planned for Somaliland did not materialise because the Minister for Livestock in Somaliland indicated that there priority was in rehabilitation and construction of the Ministry's headquarters as foreseen in the work plan for PACE Project before other activities could be implemented. Four public servants, two each from the Ministry of Livestock in Somaliland and Puntland, received fifteen-day training in Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Muguga.