Online Reporter
Doris Mpala
Agriculture Correspondent
The Council of Veterinary Surgeons of Zimbabwe (CVSZ) has called for continuous professional development among veterinary practitioners to ensure the country’s animal health services remain responsive to changing global standards and support national agricultural and economic development.
The council’s president, Dr Brian Chikodze, said competent veterinary services were critical to Zimbabwe’s food and nutrition security, public health and the development of resilient agricultural value chains.
He made the remarks at the 2026 Meet The Profession Continuous Professional Development (MTP CPD) indaba held recently in Harare.
The indaba held in Bulawayo was reintroduced as a strategic platform for veterinary professionals to discuss the role of animal health in Zimbabwe’s broader development agenda.
The event provided an opportunity for veterinary professionals to reflect on challenges facing the sector, plan and develop practical solutions.
Dr Chikodze said the veterinary profession could not afford to operate on a business-as-usual basis given the changing global environment and the country’s development priorities.
“We are bringing back the annual indaba but with an exciting twist. Our annual indaba will cease to be simply another professional meeting. The revamped MTP-CPD is a strategic platform where the country’s leading veterinary minds converge to deliberate on how animal health can be harnessed to advance Zimbabwe’s broader development agenda,” he said.
Dr Chikodze said animal health issues went beyond technical concerns, as they had a direct bearing on household incomes, food safety, rural livelihoods, and the country’s ability to achieve development objectives.
He said the National Development Strategy 2 and the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy 2 placed food and nutrition and agricultural productivity at the centre of economic resilience, making a competent veterinary workforce indispensable.
“Animal health issues are not just technical matters; they are national concerns that affect household incomes, food safety, rural livelihoods and ultimately Zimbabwe’s capacity to achieve Vision 2030,” said Dr Chikodze.
He said competent veterinary services were also necessary to support the livestock sector and contribute towards the country’s broader economic transformation agenda.
He said the focus on dairy health was deliberate as milk was both an important source of nutrition and an economic driver, making dairy animal health a veterinary priority and a national imperative.
Dr Chikodze said the council would continue facilitating dialogue, promoting continuing professional development and ensuring that regulation supported a competent, ethical and accountable veterinary workforce.
He said modernising veterinary services was necessary to meet the needs of a country seeking to increase agricultural production while ensuring food safety and strengthening resilient value chains.
“The goal is to modernise veterinary services and align them with the needs of a country determined to produce more, produce safely and build resilient agricultural value chains,” he said.
Dr Chikodze said the 2026 MTP-CPD marked the beginning of a broader conversation on repositioning veterinary services as an important pillar of Zimbabwe’s food security, public health and economic transformation.
He called on veterinary professionals to use the platform to develop strategies that would strengthen the profession and contribute to national development.
“Together, let us chart a way forward that positions veterinary services as a pillar of Zimbabwe’s food security, public health, and economic transformation,” he said.
