Nigeria Reaffirms Global Biosecurity Commitment, Shares Anthrax Lessons at WOAH Conference.
By Raymond Enoch
Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening biosecurity and combating biological threats on the global stage. This came as the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development participated in the Third Global Conference on Biological Threat Reduction, organised by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), held from 28 to 30 October 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Representing the Ministry, the Director of Sanitary Mandate and Climate Change, Dr. Ishiyaku Mohammed Musa, delivered a presentation titled “The Re-emergence of Anthrax in Nigeria: Lessons for Biological Threat Reduction.”
Dr. Musa shared Nigeria’s recent experience in managing anthrax outbreaks, underscoring the importance of early warning systems, coordinated surveillance, and robust veterinary response in curbing biological threats.
He emphasised that effective mitigation is best achieved within the One Health ecosystem, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health. Dr. Musa further noted the importance of close coordination with security agencies to strengthen national and regional health security.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s stance, he pledged continued efforts to enhance veterinary infrastructure, laboratory capacity, and cross-border collaboration for improved biosecurity.
Delivering a special address, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that biological threats “have the potential to cross borders and claim lives indiscriminately.” He cautioned that the misuse of biology poses a growing risk amid rapid technological advancement.
“I commend the World Organisation for Animal Health for convening this important conference, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the 100th anniversary of the Geneva Protocol,” Guterres said.
He urged global leaders to ensure that science “advances peace, not peril,” stressing the need to recognise the intrinsic links between human, animal, and planetary health. “We must summon the political resolve to strengthen biosecurity and prevent the potential misuse of biotechnology,” he added.
The three-day conference brought together more than 400 participants from across the world, including experts in animal and public health, security, research, and development. The gathering aimed to bolster global preparedness, prevention, and response to biological threats under the One Health framework.
