The Federal Government has announced that a wave of new investment commitments is taking shape in Nigeria’s livestock industry as a number of bilateral and private sector negotiations have matured into firm expressions of interest.
According to the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, several companies are now preparing targeted funding for priority segments such as dairy, beef, fodder production, small ruminants, improved breeding systems, poultry, piggery and animal identification.
Maiha gave the update in Yola during the opening of the first National Council on Livestock Development. He noted that the partnerships pursued by the ministry over the past year are no longer theoretical.
He added that Nigerians should expect concrete results within a short period, particularly in dairy development, climate conscious livestock practices and peacebuilding initiatives that are already receiving support from development partners.
The minister told delegates that the council was created to harmonise national policies, stimulate collaboration among stakeholders and draw meaningful investment into the sector.
He explained that the goal is to move the livestock industry away from a largely traditional and conflict prone system to a modern and productive enterprise capable of boosting food security, rural prosperity and national stability.
Maiha reminded participants that the ministry was established sixteen months ago with a mandate to raise the sector’s economic value from its current 32 billion dollars to 74 billion dollars by the year 2035. He said the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy and the National Livestock Master Plan serve as guides for this transformation.
He appealed for unity of purpose, urging stakeholders to help position livestock production as a symbol of national progress and a source of better incomes and safer communities for pastoralists and farmers alike.
Representing the Governor of Adamawa State, Deputy Governor Professor Kaletapwa George Farauta described livestock as a cornerstone of the state’s heritage. She recalled that Adamawa set up a dedicated livestock ministry more than two decades ago, long before similar structures appeared in other states or at the federal level.
She asked the Federal Government to support the expansion of the state’s pilot ranching initiative under the National Livestock Transformation Plan, saying Adamawa has continued to demonstrate workable ranching models.
In his keynote address, Special Adviser to the President on Livestock Reforms Professor Attahiru Jega called for the conversion of long-standing sources of conflict into economic assets.
He encouraged the transformation of farmer and pastoralist routes into organised fodder corridors that can employ young farmers and herders.
Welcoming participants earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, said the inauguration of the council signals a new phase for the livestock sector marked by innovation, shared responsibility and private driven growth.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the leadership of the National Assembly committees on livestock as well as officials from Adamawa State and several development partners.
After the opening session, dignitaries toured an exhibition featuring dairy products, beef processing, poultry innovations, fodder solutions, animal breeding technologies and veterinary services.
The displays highlighted the sector’s potential to drive inclusive growth as the maiden council meeting with the theme Livestock Rebirth Accelerating Renewed Hope rounded off its activities in Yola.
