At meeting in Douala: FAO strengthens regional corporation on cross-border transhumance.

The two-day meeting, which opened on Thursday, January 29, 2026, was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, FAO, and in partnership with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, HD. 

The meeting formed part of preparations for an upcoming High-Level Dialogue on cross-border transhumance involving the three countries; Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic. 

Opening the workshop, Annie Claire Ngo Ondoa, representing of the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, underscored the importance Cameroon's government attaches to transhumance governance. 

She described it as a critical issue that goes beyond livestock production, but touches on security, social cohesion and territorial stability.

Speaking on behalf of the FAO Representative in Cameroon, Gerald Tcatchoua Toko said the FAO has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Cameroon and its neighbours in promoting a transhumance system that is peaceful, sustainable and better integrated at the sub-regional level.

The organisation praised the sustained cooperation with the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Dr Tiga, and acknowledged Cameroon’s leadership role in regional efforts to address transhumance-related challenges.

It was said that Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic possess significant pastoral potentials that play a strategic role in food and nutrition security, income generation and poverty reduction. 

However, transhumance today faces mounting challenges, including insecurity linked to armed and terrorist groups, shrinking grazing fields, inadequate water points and increasing pressure on natural resources.

These factors, it was said, have fueled conflicts between herders, farmers and other rural land users, undermining social cohesion in affected areas.

Within this backdrop, attention was drawn to the Project to Support the Regulation of Cross-Border Transhumance in Central Africa, PARTTAC. The said project is implemented by FAO with financial support from the European Union.  

The project seeks to modernise and strengthen transhumance regulation mechanisms between Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic to better reflect current security, environmental and socio-economic realities.

A joint regional strategy on the peaceful management of transhumance, developed in a participatory manner in 2024, was examined during the Douala meeting. 

Stakeholders were this tasked with aligning the strategy with Cameroon’s national priorities, clarifying the roles of various ministries and institutions, and preparing a national roadmap ahead of Cameroon’s potential official endorsement of the tripartite framework.

Addressing participants, the representative of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Ben Kabagambe, described Cameroon as a central actor in any serious reflection on cross-border transhumance in Central Africa, given its geographical position and the scale of pastoral movements across its territory.

HD, through his voice, sustained its role as a neutral facilitator supporting States in translating political commitments into concrete and operational mechanisms.

The Douala session also identified Cameroon’s specific challenges, particularly in the East, Adamawa and North Regions, ensure the political feasibility of adherence to the regional strategy, and validate participants for the forthcoming high-level dialogue, charting the route to strengthening regional cooperation, reducing conflicts and transforming transhumance into a factor of peace, stability and development within the sub-region.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3692 of Tuesday February 03, 2026