ALive is a partnership among organizations, regional and international institutions, civil society, donors, research, academic and training institutions and all other stakeholders involved in livestock development in Africa with the overall objective of improving the livestock sector’s contribution to poverty alleviation and sustainable economic growth in the continent. It also contributes to attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa.

The governance structure of the platform comprises of a General Assembly and an Executive Committee. The Secretariat's role is to support the ALive platform and its governance structure.

Initially hosted at the World Bank offices in Washington since its inception, the ALive Secretariat was transferred to the African Union-InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR),Nairobi, Kenya in March 2009.

The transfer of the Secretariat to AU-IBAR offered an opportunity to take stock of the lessons learnt during the previous Platform’s institutional setting and implementation and to revise its strategy. The revised strategy is expected to provide a greater sense to ALive’s purpose, increase focus and value addition to national, regional and continental programs within the framework of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (AU-CAADP) and ensure that it is fully complementary to the strategy and programs of the African Union.

The unique feature of ALive platform is its capacity to bring together the international community of stakeholders in African livestock, wildlife and environment through a powerful collaboration of institutions and individuals that can best add value to African livestock development.

ALive has moved into a new phase in which it could benefit from synergies and value addition within AU-IBAR and closer integration with CAADP. This will be ensured by the General Assembly of ALive being chaired by the African Union's Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture. The unity with AU-IBAR is expressed through having a common Vision of: A n Africa in which animal resources contribute significantly to sustainable economic growth, reduction of poverty and hunger for the present and future generations.

As mentioned in the ALive strategy paper, the unique position and composition of the ALive platform, enables it to play a specific and critical role in African livestock development that no other institution can fulfill. This unique role and the value that adds is articulated its Value Proposition which is: “to provide a platform for facilitating discussion, advocacy for resource mobilization, advancing policy advice and accessing global knowledge for stakeholders in African animal agriculture and environment to add value to national and regional actions, and programs in advancing the CAADP Livestock sub-sector agenda”.

Therefore, the main functions of the platform are to:
i. Improve decision making by fostering debate and interaction among stakeholders at a global level for identifying trends and emerging issues in animal agriculture, human and livestock health, wildlife and the environment;
ii. Raise awareness and access to knowledge by enabling end-users to access knowledge when and in the form they need it;
iii. Facilitate better policy making by catalyzing and providing support for policy analysis and provide policy guidance; and
 iv. Support evidence-based advocacy for more investment in livestock development by informing public and private opinion on investment opportunities in animal agriculture.

It is in conformity to its value proposition that a concept note for the rolling Triennial Action Plan 2010 – 2012 was developed to be endorsed during the 16th Executive Committee.

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