The Nigerian government is ramping up efforts to control tsetse flies in the Federal Capital Territory, Kogi State, and Ogun State, targeting diseases spread by the parasites that cost farmers millions in lost livestock each year.
Tsetse flies transmit trypanosomiasis, a disease that kills cattle and causes sleeping sickness in humans. The insects thrive in vegetation along rivers and forests, making them difficult to eliminate once they establish themselves in an area. Nigeria loses an estimated N220 billion annually to tsetse-related livestock losses, according to agricultural economists.
The government's approach combines three main strategies: surveillance to track tsetse populations, vector control to reduce their numbers, and community education to help farmers recognise and report infected animals. Officials will deploy teams to high-risk zones to monitor fly populations and map their distribution across the three locations.
The surveillance phase will run for several months to establish baseline data on where the flies are concentrated and how they move with the seasons. Once officials understand the pattern, they will introduce control measures including traps, targets treated with insecticide, and in some cases, sterile insect technique where laboratory-bred male flies are released to reduce breeding populations.
Community sensitisation forms the third pillar. Health workers and agricultural extension officers will visit villages to teach farmers how to spot symptoms in their herds, including anaemia, weight loss, and lethargy. Early reporting allows authorities to quarantine infected animals and prevent spread to neighbouring farms.
The three states were selected because they represent different ecological zones where tsetse populations pose significant threats. The FCT has peri-urban farming communities, Kogi has extensive cattle grazing areas, and Ogun has mixed agricultural production. Each region requires tailored approaches based on local farming practices and landscape.
Farmer groups in these states have welcomed the initiative. Many have lost entire herds to the disease over the past decade. The government's intervention arrives as feed costs rise and livestock farmers already struggle with insecurity in parts of the north pushing herds southward into these three states.
The initiative will run for eighteen months with funding from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. International partners including the African Union's Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign will provide technical support and share expertise from other control programmes across the continent.
