The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering women in Nigeria’s dairy industry, describing them as indispensable to the country’s food security, household nutrition, rural livelihoods, and efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in milk production.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, stated this in Abuja during a press briefing to announce activities marking the 2026 World Milk Day celebration.
Maiha said women remain at the heart of Nigeria’s dairy value chain, playing key roles in milk production, preservation, storage, processing and marketing, stressing that meaningful transformation of the sector cannot be achieved without their active inclusion and empowerment.
According to the minister, the ministry has intensified efforts to promote gender-responsive policies and interventions through the strengthening of dairy cooperatives, skills development programmes, milk aggregation systems, value addition initiatives and enterprise support schemes.
He noted that this year’s World Milk Day theme, “Celebrating Women Farmers,” recognises the significant contributions of women to dairy development and the broader agricultural economy.
The minister disclosed that Nigeria currently faces a substantial gap between milk demand and local production, with annual national demand estimated at 1.7 million metric tonnes compared to local production of between 600,000 and 700,000 metric tonnes.
He said the shortfall continues to fuel heavy dependence on imports, resulting in annual foreign exchange expenditures exceeding $1.5 billion on dairy products.
Maiha, however, expressed optimism that ongoing reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development are laying the foundation for a more productive and competitive dairy industry.
He revealed that the ministry will officially unveil the validated Implementation Framework of the National Dairy Policy during the World Milk Day Conference scheduled for June 1, 2026.
The framework, developed following extensive stakeholder consultations, is expected to guide investments and interventions in local milk production, dairy processing, cold-chain infrastructure, milk aggregation systems, pasture development, ranching facilities, animal health services and private sector participation.
Highlighting growing investor confidence in the sector, Maiha said major dairy companies, including Arla Foods, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Nestlé and Danone, have continued to expand their commitments to Nigeria’s dairy industry.
He also disclosed that Pure Dairy Herds plans to establish a 5,000-cow dairy farm in Ogun State, alongside training centres in Ogun and Taraba states and a 5,000-member smallholder out-grower scheme.
The minister further announced that the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority recently signed a $496 million Memorandum of Understanding with Asset Green Limited for the development of an integrated dairy livestock production and processing project in Nigeria.
According to him, the project will include a 10,000-milking-cow dairy operation, large-scale fodder production and a modern processing facility capable of producing fresh milk, butter, cream, milk powder and infant formula.
He added that the initiative is expected to create about 2,500 direct jobs and more than 5,000 indirect jobs across the dairy value chain.
Maiha said the ministry is also advancing implementation of the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy, which prioritises dairy industrialisation through investments in feed and fodder development, animal health services, infrastructure, cold-chain systems, improved genetics, dairy hubs, milk aggregation centres and climate-smart livestock practices.
As part of efforts to deepen inclusion, he announced plans for a Women and Youth in Livestock Empowerment Initiative designed to expand economic opportunities for about 37,000 women and young people across livestock value chains.
The proposed programme, currently undergoing stakeholder consultations and final design, is expected to be launched in the next phase of the ministry’s livestock transformation agenda.
Maiha added that the ministry is exploring the establishment of women-led milk aggregation and processing cooperatives in grazing reserves while continuing capacity-building programmes for smallholder dairy farmers across the country.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Chinyere Akujobi, described the World Milk Day activities as a demonstration of stakeholders’ collective commitment to improved nutrition, healthier lifestyles and sustainable livestock development.
She noted that the theme of the 2026 celebration appropriately recognises the vital contributions of women to dairy production, food security and rural economic growth, adding that women and youth empowerment remains a major pillar of the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy.
Akujobi called on stakeholders to sustain support for programmes aimed at strengthening the dairy sector and increasing public awareness of the nutritional and economic importance of milk and dairy products.
