Why we exist and what we're building
AFANA Animal Futures was founded on a simple belief: that animals raised for food deserve better, and that improving their welfare makes everything around them better too.
Answering a need we could no longer ignore
Nigeria has one of the largest populations of farmed animals and and invertebrates in Africa. Millions of people depend on these animals for food, income, and livelihoods. Yet animal welfare, the basic question of how these animals are living, was rarely part of the conversation.
Farhan and Kaosarah founded AFANA Animal Futures in Nigeria to begin filling that gap. Not with assumptions, but with research. Not from the outside, but working directly alongside the farming communities at the centre of the issue.
AFANA is rooted in two ideas: trust and Africa. Inspired by the word "Amana," meaning trust, our name reflects the values that guide our work through partnership, evidence, and a commitment to building a more humane and sustainable future.
We are a young organisation. We are still building. But we are building on something solid: a commitment to evidence, to community, and to the animals at the heart of our work.
Poor welfare costs everyone, not just the animals
Nigeria is home to over 900 million farmed vertebrate animals, poultry, livestock, and fish, plus a fast-growing insect farming sector led by black soldier fly production.1,2 Welfare is rarely factored into how any of it is run, financed, or supported.
The consequences are real. Overcrowding, stress, and poor welfare conditions drive higher disease burden and food safety risk, while the same practices strain the land, water, and ecosystems animals depend on.3 Notably, insects are even further from view: globally, hundreds of billions are farmed each year with no regulation governing how they're reared, transported, or killed.4 Improving welfare isn't a luxury, it's foundational to a healthier, more sustainable food system.
That's why our work isn't just about animals, it's about every creature in the system, and the ecosystems we all share.
1. Animal Advocacy Africa, Nigeria Country Report (2025) — ~854M vertebrate farmed animals alive in Nigeria at any time. forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/HzudZpbybzGBkbxb9
2. How We Made It In Africa, Nigeria's billion-dollar insect-based animal feed opportunity (2023) — BSF-led insect feed sector projected at $250M–$1.2B by 2030. howwemadeitinafrica.com
3. World Animal Protection, Farm Animal Welfare & Zoonotic Emergences/AMR — overcrowded, stressed animals linked to higher disease/zoonotic risk. worldanimalprotection.org.in
4. Rethink Priorities, Welfare Considerations for Farmed Black Soldier Flies — ~200–300 billion BSFs farmed annually worldwide, no welfare regulation. rethinkpriorities.org
The One Health framework
Everything we do is grounded in the understanding that animal health, human health, and environmental health are inseparable. This is what the global health community calls "One Health," and it's the lens through which AFANA sees its work.
Animals
Every farmed animal has the capacity to suffer and to thrive. Our starting point is always the welfare of the animals themselves, their health, behaviour, and living conditions.
Environment
Better animal welfare is also better for the land, the soil, and the ecosystems that sustain farming communities across Nigeria.
People
The farmers, veterinarians, and communities who work with and around animals every day are essential partners, not just in implementing change, but in designing it.
Our values
Four principles that shape every decision we make.
Evidence-led
We only act on what we can measure. Research comes first and shapes everything that follows.
Community-centred
Solutions are built with the people closest to the problem, not handed down to them.
Practical
We focus on changes that work in the real conditions of Nigerian farming: affordable, scalable, and sustainable.
Transparent
We share what we learn, successes and failures alike, because the whole movement benefits from open knowledge.
Want to be part of what we're building?
Whether you're a researcher, farmer, partner organisation, or a supporter who shares our vision, we'd love to hear from you.
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