 This week for the last five days we've been having 17 senior government officers and scientists from five Asareka region countries that is Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda. These people are executing a project on Xitu conservation and characterization of indigenous ruminant livestock. The aim of the workshop was to first of all to assess the facilities available in terms of policy and capacity. The second one was to look at the opportunities that exist for Xitu conservation, agree on way forward with regard to what is doable jointly and at national level and at the same time to contribute to the ongoing guidelines on Xitu conservation by FAO. So together with a senior officer from FAO Rome, we as ILRI being knowledge brokers and given our role in the GPA facilitated the workshop and in terms of way forward we have agreed to start or to initiate key information areas regarding animo genetic resources and to establish pilot gene banks in maybe two, three countries. Starting with the Shaco in Ethiopia, Uganda cattle in Uganda and Puapua cattle in Tanzania as a way forward.