Saint-Louis veterinary laboratory nears completion

A new regional veterinary laboratory in Saint-Louis, Senegal, is nearing completion. The facility, funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), aims to strengthen animal disease surveillance and diagnostic capabilities in the northern region.

During a site visit, FAO West Africa Sub-regional Coordinator Bintia Stephen-Tchicaya noted that construction is in its final stages and equipment has already been installed. The project includes approximately $300,000 in equipment and nearly $150,000 in construction costs. The laboratory is intended to decentralize veterinary services, reducing the need for local producers to transport samples to central structures in Dakar.

Dr. Adjaratou Diokou Ndiaye, Permanent Secretary of the One Health High Council for Health Security, emphasized the facility's role in territorializing multisectoral alert and prevention systems. Similar infrastructure projects are also being finalized in Thiès and Kaolack to bolster the livestock sector.