Pharmaq and NMBU team up to improve tilapia health in Africa

Zoetis, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), has launched the ALPHA Plus initiative, a five-year program aimed at boosting livestock productivity and improving health in sub-Saharan Africa. With a $15.3 million grant, the project will focus on the aquaculture sector, particularly tilapia farming, to enhance sustainable growth and food security through preventative fish health management solutions. Dr Ben North from Pharmaq, Zoetis' aquaculture health business, and Professors Øystein Evensen and Stephen Mutoloki from NMBU are leading the effort, leveraging their expertise and resources to make significant inroads into improving aquaculture in the region.

This collaboration is part of the ALPHA (African Livestock Productivity and Health Advancement) Plus initiative, a five-year programme launched by Zoetis and supported by a $15.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The aquaculture objectives of the initiative are focused on building an understanding of the fish health needs of tilapia farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. This will help identify appropriate solutions for preventative fish health management to support the sustainable growth of African aquaculture and improve food security in the region. Dr Ben North, who leads the aquaculture components of the initiative for Pharmaq (the aquaculture health business of Zoetis), expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating: "We are excited to collaborate with NMBU on this important project that enables us to start understanding the fish health needs of tilapia producers on the African continent. By combining Pharmaq’s capabilities with NMBU's experience built ...