The Federal Government is exploring technical support from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to build a livestock traceability system capable of supporting Nigeria’s ambitions to export meat, honey and other animal products.
The move followed discussions between the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and UNIDO on measures to improve animal identification, food safety, laboratory services and certification across the livestock value chain.
Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Chinyere Akujobi, said traceability would be fundamental to Nigeria’s ability to participate in the international livestock trade, as importing countries require evidence that animal products can be tracked through the production chain.
“No trading partner will take any piece of meat from you if you don’t have a system capable of tracing livestock and livestock products through the value chain,” she said.
Akujobi, however, said the proposed system should serve more than export markets, stressing that improved quality and safety standards must also protect consumers within Nigeria.
“Whatever we are doing should cut across products for both international and domestic markets,” she said.
According to her, the ministry is developing a policy framework for animal identification and traceability and is seeking UNIDO’s technical input on infrastructure, software and capacity development.
She said the government was also examining identification options such as tags and microchips, with attention to their affordability, availability of equipment and long-term viability for farmers.
The ministry is also seeking improvements in disease control and veterinary services through the development of disease-free zones or compartments, training of federal and state veterinary inspectors, stronger biosecurity measures and upgraded laboratories.
UNIDO Regional Programme Manager, Adalberto Vieira, said the organisation could support Nigeria with digital systems for identifying and tracking livestock.
He said linking animal identification records to databases would strengthen animal health management, improve consumer confidence and help Nigerian products meet requirements for international markets.
“UNIDO has successfully worked on livestock identification and traceability systems in other nations. We believe we can support the deployment of digital tracking technology to guarantee animal health, build consumer trust and open doors to related exports,” Vieira said.
The organisation also expressed readiness to support food safety testing, laboratory development, inspector training and certification, while assessing existing national and regional capacities to determine areas requiring further investment.
