The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is holding an international workshop on building the capacities of camel breeders and introducing them to good practices in this field. The workshop is organized in cooperation with the Institute of Rural Economy in the Republic of Mali and the Malian National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO and benefits a number of camel breeders and experts from Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.
The opening session of the four-day workshop was held on Monday, October 17, 2022, in Bamako and was attended by Mr. Youba Ba, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Rural Development in Charge of Livestock and Fisheries. The Malian official commended the partnership between ICESCO and the Institute of Rural Economy which aims to improve the industry of camel breeding.

For his part, Mr. Modibo Sylla, Director of the Institute of Rural Economy, reaffirmed that camel breeding is a key industry in Mali, given its myriad benefits for the rural population, expressing his hope for developing stronger partnership relations with ICESCO.

The representative of the Malian National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO also hailed ICESCO’s support for its Member States to help them train and build the capacities of their human resources. He also stressed the significance of this workshop, in light of the international interest in camel breeding today.

In his address, Dr. Ismail Diallo, Expert in ICESCO’s Sector of Science and Technology, reaffirmed the Organization’s commitment to accompany its Member States in developing good measures and practices of natural resources management based on an anticipatory approach. He noted that camels are a key element in achieving food security through improving agricultural production in the rural areas deteriorating due to climate change.