Evaluating the Use of Sterile Insect Technique Feasibility for Tsetse Fly Eradication in the Doma Area of Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria

Sterile insect technique (SIT) is a species-specific area-wide pest management approach that has achieved successful tsetse eradication in Zanzibar and parts of Ethiopia. Nigeria has not yet implemented SIT for tsetse control, despite the significant livestock losses attributable to trypanosomiasis in the North Central zone. This study evaluates the feasibility of applying SIT for tsetse eradication in the Doma area of Nasarawa State through entomological characterization and population modeling. A comprehensive tsetse population baseline will be established using NG2G traps at 50 sites over 18 months, documenting species composition, apparent density, and sex ratios. Mark-release-recapture experiments will estimate local population size and dispersal range. A population dynamics model parameterized with field data will simulate the release requirements and timeline for population suppression to zero. The study will identify the geographic boundaries of a candidate eradication zone based on dispersal data. This research provides the first site-specific SIT feasibility assessment for the North Central tsetse belt and delivers the entomological evidence base needed by the government and IAEA to plan an SIT pilot program in Nasarawa State. Keywords: sterile insect technique, tsetse eradication, Nasarawa State, population modeling, trypanosomiasis control