AU-IBAR launches advanced ARIS-3 training to accelerate Africa’s PPR eradication drive

BURKINA FASO – Africa’s push to eradicate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) by 2030 has entered a new phase with the launch of an intensive regional training on the revamped Animal Resources Information System (ARIS-3), a platform designed to transform how countries collect, manage, and analyse animal health data. 

The first session, held from 25–28 November 2025 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, brought together specialists from West and Central Africa to build the skills needed to deploy the system nationally.

PPR remains one of the continent’s most destructive livestock diseases, with mortality rates in affected flocks reaching up to 100% and economic losses estimated at US$1.45 billion annually. 

More than 300 million Africans, particularly women and youth, depend on sheep and goats for food security and income, underscoring the urgency for modern, harmonised surveillance tools.

Strengthening national capacity for ARIS-3 deployment

Opening the training, AU-IBAR underscored the need to eliminate fragmented reporting systems. 

Speaking on behalf of the Director of AU-IBAR, Dr Hiver Bousinni stressed that “the system must be strategically aligned to national, regional, and continental needs so that decisions are based on coherent, high-quality data.”

Addressing participants, FAO’s Emergency and Resilience Coordinator, Dr Mohamed Sylla, reinforced the message, emphasising that “accurate data is essential for decision-making, countries cannot advance disease control without reliable, harmonised information.”

The 2025 training brings together surveillance officers, PPR focal points, epidemiologists, and data managers from ECOWAS and ECCAS Member States. 

The programme blends online learning with practical exercises and hands-on sessions on system configuration, customisation of disease modules, data validation workflows, dashboard generation, and integration with WOAH’s WAHIS platform.

Representing Burkina Faso’s Minister of Animal Resources, Dr Aboubacar Nacro highlighted the sustainability angle, noting that countries must “build strong national teams capable of managing and sustaining the system, ensuring that ARIS becomes fully functional from national to community levels.” 

He added that the knowledge gained must cascade to subnational officers to ensure consistent, reliable reporting.

ARIS-3: a digital backbone for PPR eradication efforts

The enhanced ARIS-3 platform is designed to bolster PPR eradication efforts by enabling faster detection and response to outbreaks, data-driven planning of vaccination campaigns, verification of progress through real-time analytics, and harmonised regional reporting across ECOWAS and ECCAS. 

Its interoperability with WOAH’s WAHIS also improves continental alignment with global reporting standards.

Reflecting on the system’s potential, Dr Bousinni noted that “the system will allow countries to coordinate more effectively, ensuring that surveillance data flows seamlessly across borders and supports rapid action.”

The initiative builds on two decades of AU-IBAR leadership in digital animal health governance, including the deployment of ARIS-2 across 48 Member States and ongoing collaboration with FAO and WOAH to modernise data systems.

As ARIS-3 rolls out across Member States, AU-IBAR says countries will be better equipped to identify disease threats earlier, make evidence-based decisions, protect pastoral and agropastoral livelihoods, and strengthen regional integration.

In summing up the vision, Dr Bousinni affirmed that “ARIS is beyond a tool, but is the backbone of Africa’s animal health intelligence, enabling us to safeguard our animals, our people, and our economies.”

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.