The Federal Government has called for closer coordination between development partners and government institutions as Australia explores a major livestock research investment in Nigeria, insisting that future interventions must align with national policies and deliver tangible benefits to livestock producers.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr. Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, made the call while receiving a delegation from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) on Thursday in Abuja.
She said organisations seeking to support the livestock sector should engage the Ministry from the outset to ensure proper coordination, prevent duplication of efforts and direct investments to areas of greatest national need.
Akujobi stressed that the Ministry’s focus extends beyond generating research, noting that innovations must be effectively communicated and adopted by farmers to improve productivity.
She also requested ACIAR’s concept note, implementation timeline, key performance indicators and expected outcomes to enable the proposed programme align with the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS) and other existing policy frameworks.
To support the initiative, she directed relevant departments within the Ministry to establish a technical interface with the ACIAR team and facilitate continuous engagement throughout the project’s development.
Directors in the Ministry also urged the delegation to expand stakeholder consultations, draw from existing policy documents, including the National Livestock Master Plan and NL-GAS, and prioritise research in animal genetics, disease surveillance, feed and fodder systems, livestock data management, capacity building and postgraduate training for Ministry personnel.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, ACIAR Senior Initiative Manager, Mr. Wekem Raymond Avatim, said the visit is part of a regional scoping study to identify priority investment areas for livestock development in Nigeria and other West African countries. He explained that the initiative is designed to generate evidence for future research-for-development programmes, strengthen institutional capacity, promote knowledge exchange and encourage multi-stakeholder collaboration.
According to the delegation, preliminary consultations identified feed and fodder shortages, climate change, animal health, vaccine availability, youth participation, gender inclusion and weak institutional coordination as key constraints affecting Nigeria’s livestock sector.
The team disclosed that the Australian Government is considering an investment of more than AU$70 million across selected West African countries, with Nigeria among the priority countries. It pledged to deepen consultations with stakeholders and subject the final scoping report to stakeholder validation before implementation.
