END MARKET OPPORTUNITIES MARKET OVERVIEW Throughout Africa and in humid West Africa in particular, small ruminants must be considered primarily as sources of meat and meat products. There is ample evidence from several African regions that demand for meat is strong and increasing. This reflects greater urbanization and associated higher incomes, which have led to large domestic and internationa...

Six Red Sokoto (RS) and West African Dwarf (WAD) does, raised intensively in livestock farm of Michael Okpara University were evaluated for milk yield and composition in a ten-week study. The animals in their first parity were fed cut-and-carry forages in a cafeteria arrangement between 07:00-08:00 h daily and also were allowed access to concentrate supplementation by 14:00 h. The forage consis...

West African Dwarf (WAD) and Red Sokoto (RS) goats were experimentally infected with the Kafanchan strain of Trypanosoma congolense and the course of the infection was monitored. The organism was pathogenic and produced fatal disease in the goats, which was characterized by rapid progressive anaemia, leucocytosis, weight loss and death. All RS goats died within 11 days of infection, and had a m...

An epidemiological survey was undertaken from March to September 2010 to assess the prevalence and zoonotic aspects of scabies in small ruminants in two agro-ecological zones in southern Benin. Small ruminant (n = 444) smallholders and 1,807 of their animals (1,233 West African dwarf goats and 574 West African dwarf sheep) were included in the study. The animals underwent physical examination a...