Dr. David Shamaki (D.V.M, M.Sc., Ph.D., FCVSN), is a former Director and Chief Executive of the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) in Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria. He completed his early education at St. John's College in Kaduna, followed by higher studies at the Kaduna State College of Arts and Science and Technology in Zaria. He graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M) from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Microbiology and a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Work Experience:
Dr. Shamaki began his career as a Veterinary Research Officer at NVRI, Vom, in 1982. Over his 38-year career, he advanced to the position of Director of Research for eight years and served as the Director and Chief Executive of the Institute from 2015 to 2020 before retiring from public service. Throughout his time at NVRI, he held various research positions under different programs and projects while also managing administrative tasks.
He actively participated in field and laboratory activities as part of the Pan-African Rinderpest Control Programme (PARC) and the Pan-African Programme for Control of Epizootic Diseases (PACE), both funded by the European Union (EU), which culminated in the global eradication of Rinderpest in 2011. Additionally, he engaged in research and diagnostic activities regarding peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease in sheep and goats, as well as African swine fever (ASF) in Nigeria, supported by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Programme for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.
Dr. Shamaki represented NVRI on the Standing Committee of the Association of Institutions of Tropical Veterinary Medicine, with its headquarters at the Office for International Cooperation (BIC), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. In 2017, he was elected Chair of the Africa and Middle East Regional Network by members of the STAR-IDAZ (International Research Consortium on Animal Health) during a meeting in Abuja, and he served as Coordinator of the Nigeria Animal Health Research Network (NAHRN) from 2017 to 2020. This consortium now includes 31 partner organizations across 21 countries and 55 associated countries.
He has provided consultancy services for Palladium Nigeria through Propcom Mai-karfi, a UK aid-funded NGO, as a Policy/Vaccine Expert. He also served as a consultant for ECOWAS, developing a regional strategy for controlling and eradicating PPR in sheep, goats, and other susceptible wild ruminants. Following this, the FAO of the United Nations engaged him to align the ECOWAS PPR Strategy with the PPR Global Eradication Programme (GEP) by 2030.
Dr. Shamaki has undertaken two expert missions to Asmara, Eritrea, for the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme, focusing on the execution of the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) and training in cell culture and virus isolation. He also completed an expert mission to the University of Njala in Sierra Leone for a training course on PPR and Newcastle disease diagnosis.
He has participated in numerous training fellowships sponsored by the FAO/IAEA Programme for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and has attended many management training workshops, fellowships, and seminars, both locally and internationally.
In addition to his professional work, he serves as a member of the Integral Development Commission of the Catholic Arch-Diocese of Jos, as well as Chairman of the Arch-Diocesan Rural Development Programme Board and Vice-Chairman of the Justice, Development, and Peace/Caritas Commission of the same arch-diocese. His research interests include the molecular epidemiology of the PPR virus and related viruses, diagnostic virology, and sustainable agriculture.
Dr. Shamaki is married with children. He is originally from Fori, Kagoma Chiefdom, in the Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria, where he currently resides.
