Small-scale livestock producers across sub-Saharan Africa continue to operate in an increasingly complex environment. Disease pressures remain high, climate variability is intensifying risk, and public animal health systems are often stretched beyond capacity. Yet livestock remains one of the most powerful and underused engines for improving livelihoods, food security and economic resilience.
GALVmed exists to address this gap. Our role is to innovate where markets fail: de-risking investment in the development of new and improved animal health products for low- and middle-income markets. Product innovation remains the foundation of our work, but innovation alone is not enough unless it translates into real-world use and impact. By developing sustainable market systems and strengthening regulatory pathways, we help ensure that innovative animal health solutions reach as many livestock producers as possible. We do this by working with the private sector, governments, regulators, development partners and others to correct persistent market and system failures that limit access to, and adoption of, quality animal health products by small-scale livestock producers.
2025 was a year of transition and momentum. PREVENT concluded after demonstrating, at unprecedented scale, that hatchery-based vaccination can be commercially viable and transformative for poultry producers. We believe this will fundamentally change how poultry vaccination is perceived and practised in multiple markets. GALVmed launched the second phase of our flagship programme, VITAL, building on almost two decades of experience in de-risking product development by intensifying our focus on product uptake, service delivery and last-mile impact in priority countries. This integrated approach links innovation with commercial delivery, regulatory systems strengthening and national vaccination priorities – ensuring that effective products reach livestock producers at scale.
This year also reinforced GALVmed’s role as a trusted partner in regulatory and systems strengthening. From the expansion of the East African Community’s Mutual Recognition Procedure to the endorsement of a pan-African network for veterinary product regulation, our work increasingly focuses on the enabling conditions that make long-term impact possible.
Across all our projects and programmes, a common theme is clear: sustainable progress depends on strong partnerships and well-functioning systems. None of the achievements this year would have been possible without the commitment of our partners – funders, researchers, manufacturers, governments, regulators, implementers and many others – who share our belief that well-functioning animal health markets are essential to development.
2025 also marks a leadership transition for GALVmed. I am honoured to take on the role of Chief Executive at a time when the organisation is well positioned for its next phase. I inherit an organisation with a strong reputation, a talented and committed team, and deep partnerships across Africa and beyond. My focus will be on building on this foundation: sharpening our strategic choices, strengthening delivery, and ensuring that GALVmed continues to play a distinctive and credible role in transforming the livelihoods of small-scale livestock producers in our target countries.
I would like to thank our partners and funders for their continued trust and collaboration, and the GALVmed team for their professionalism, dedication and growing presence in the countries where we work. Together, we are well placed to meet the challenges ahead and to unlock livestock’s potential for small-scale livestock producers. These challenges are significant, but so too is the opportunity. With a strong foundation in innovation, market systems change and partnerships, we enter the next phase of our work with confidence, clarity of purpose and a shared commitment to improve the lives of small-scale livestock producers.
Dr Lois Muraguri,
Chief Executive of GALVmed
Photo credit: FAO/Tony Karumba