The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded Zoetis a $15.3 million grant to further advance veterinary care and diagnostic services to improve livestock health and productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Parsippany-based animal health company announced March 1. 

The funding will support the company’s new five-year African Livestock Productivity and Health Advancement Plus (A.L.P.H.A. Plus) initiative, an expansion of Zoetis’ original A.L.P.H.A. program, which launched in 2017.

The goal of the expanded program – part of the company’s Driven to Care commitments – is to improve veterinary health and food security, focusing on dairy and beef production, poultry and aquaculture in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, as well as seven additional markets including Kenya, Ivory Coast and others in West, East and Central Sub-Saharan Africa.

The new funding will support smallholder farms, particularly female farmers, by expanding access to veterinary products, services and diagnostic tools to increase productivity.

“Expanding and improving access to veterinary medicines, vaccines and services are essential for animal health, nutrition, and an inclusive, sustainable economy – and therefore a key pillar of the initiative,” the company said. 

Among other services, the grant will also be used to enhance training for farmers – with a target to train 100,000 by 2025. Zoetis said there will be a strong focus on gender diversity, including women-led, female-only training courses designed to maximize attendance.  

“We are grateful for the grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as we live our purpose to nurture our world and humankind by advancing care for animals in Sub-Saharan Africa, expanding our work to drive greater impact,” Zoetis CEO Kristin Peck said in a statement. “Access to medicines and technology will help farmers raise healthier animals, improve productivity and secure more sustainable revenue, which is critical to the economic development and well-being of the region and its population.” 

A Fortune 500 company, Zoetis generated revenue of $8.1 billion in 2022 and has approximately 13,800 employees. In October 2022, the company earned a spot on Fortune magazine’s 2022 Change the World List, which recognized 54 organizations that addressed social or environmental issues through profit-making operations.