With an estimated animal population of 199,550,000 in Nigeria, according to the FAO, Nigeria has quite a formidable animal population and the need for a robust health management system and plan for these animals cannot be overemphasized. Nigeria is a key hub for the consumption of animal products in West Africa. It is also one of the largest livestock-raising countries in this region. Meeting the heightening local demand and access to these flourishing markets are major economic stakes for Nigeria and for the neighboring countries that raise livestock.
As a contribution to an effective synergy of information and collaborative workflow, Farm Innovation Nigeria, in 2021 developed a veritable application called VetWiz. The early version of the application made it easy for veterinarians to connect with owners of livestock, requiring their services. The new updates which were released early this month includes a forum feature that enables multiple stakeholders in the health and general management of domesticated animals to have a platform to interact and engage fully with each other, for the purposes of knowledge sharing, product promotion and information dissemination.
The VetWiz forum offers an opportunity to get real time assistance from colleagues, especially those with more expertise and those with experiential knowledge on animals and specific ailments that could be a major game changer in either providing critical animal healthcare or providing information on best approaches to specific situations. This can be especially useful for alternative animal health service providers who can leverage on support from more experienced professionals to handle some emergencies that otherwise might have been irredeemable. Another key advantage that the VetWiz forum offers is the provision of a ready platform to share information on emanating policy decisions, disease outbreaks, new frontiers in knowledge and opportunities amongst colleagues.
Harnessing the power of social media finds full expression here as the interactive interface makes work pleasurable with the capacity to share multimedia files and myriad capabilities; it is a truly viable channel to connect, teach, learn, unlearn, and grow in a more relaxed and friendly setting. This is asides the unique opportunity inherent to explore leads that can translate to rewarding transactions all at no cost to the user.
Unlike men that speak in languages that can be deciphered by physicians; the animal world is somewhat more classified and the more, the experience interfacing with them the higher the propensity to understand signs and symptoms to inform prescriptions and/or further analysis. Having an engaging forum like VetWiz is a much-needed intervention for the livestock sector in Nigeria.