The Federal Government has unveiled a new partnership model involving the Federal Government, state governments and private investors to accelerate the transformation of Nigeria’s livestock industry and unlock its economic potential.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed the initiative during a ministerial engagement with key stakeholders in the livestock sector in Abuja.
According to a statement by the
Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations Unit, Henrietta Okokon, at the weekend, participants at the meeting included veterinary professionals, breeders, processors, livestock dealers, investors, civil society organisations and international development partners.
Maiha said the partnership would provide a coordinated framework for tackling longstanding challenges in the livestock industry while creating opportunities for investment, employment and value addition.
He explained that the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, established in July 2024 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was created to provide strategic direction for the implementation of the livestock transformation agenda under the Renewed Hope Administration.
According to the minister, the livestock sector extends beyond cattle and poultry to include sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, horses, camels, rabbits, grass-cutters, snails and honeybees, as well as supporting value chains covering feed, water, veterinary services, transportation, logistics and processing.
Maiha said the Federal Government would focus on policies, technical standards, animal health, food safety, traceability, data management, investment facilitation and regulatory coordination.
State governments, he added, would be responsible for providing land, local infrastructure, community engagement, security coordination and mobilisation of producers, while the private sector would drive investment and commercial activities across the value chains.
The minister disclosed that states with dedicated livestock ministries or agencies had increased from three to 20, describing the development as a sign of growing commitment to the sector.
As part of the new strategy, the ministry plans to establish Federal-State-Private Sector Livestock Development Centres across participating states.
Maiha said the centres would be commercially oriented platforms designed to attract private capital into livestock enterprises selected by states according to their ecological conditions, feed and water availability, market demand and investment prospects.
He stressed that the centres would not be conventional government farms or merely infrastructure projects.
Rather, they would integrate producers, investors and service providers around viable businesses such as breeding, feed production, dairy development, meat processing, abattoirs, cold-chain systems, logistics, leather production, biogas and organic fertiliser. Authority
