The Federal Government has identified the limited availability and poor quality of animal feed as a major barrier to the adoption of modern livestock farming practices in Nigeria, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Sahel region.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr. Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, stated this at the opening of a regional high-level workshop on developing the animal feed industry in West Africa and the Sahel.
Dr. Akujobi said the inadequate feed supply has increased the vulnerability of livestock farmers and reduced the region’s ability to meet the growing demand for animal-based food products.
She noted that, despite the region’s vast potential in livestock resources, pastoral areas, and traditional knowledge systems, these assets have not been fully harnessed for food security, poverty reduction, or economic development due to persistent challenges.
According to her, the major constraints include poor industrial infrastructure, dependence on imported feed inputs, climate variability, and weak regional coordination, all of which have limited the competitiveness of the livestock sector.
“This workshop is timely as it provides a platform for dialogue among public and private actors, allowing us to share successful experiences and identify tools for developing a genuine regional animal feed industry,” Akujobi said.
She added that Nigeria’s animal feed production policy is aligned with this regional vision and has been prioritised under the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NLGAS) — Nigeria’s livestock roadmap covering 2025 to 2035.
“We believe that a strong local and regional animal feed industry will not only create jobs but also reduce dependence on imports and, above all, strengthen food sovereignty in our region,” she stated.
The Permanent Secretary expressed optimism that the outcome of the workshop would form the foundation for a West African strategy focused on promoting local resources through agricultural by-products and improved coordination mechanisms.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA), Konlani Kanfitin, said the two-day workshop was designed to foster dialogue, innovation, and policy harmonisation across West Africa’s agricultural sector.
He explained that the discussions would help transform research findings from the Productive, Resilient and Healthy Agro-Pastoral Systems in West Africa (PRISMA) programme into actionable regional priorities that promote food security, private sector participation, and sustainable agricultural growth.
Kanfitin emphasised that the livestock sector remains central to the economies of ECOWAS member states but continues to face structural challenges that hinder its development.
“Our region has abundant resources, including agricultural by-products, agro-industrial co-products, and enterprising youth. This potential must be fully harnessed to build a competitive, sustainable, and job-creating regional animal feed industry,” he said.
He further noted that ECOWAS, in collaboration with its partners, has already carried out studies on establishing feed supply centres, developing online feed purchasing systems, and creating harmonised protocols for feed sampling and analysis.
“We firmly believe that a strong regional animal feed industry will make the ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve more operational and more effective in crisis management,” Kanfitin added.
The PRISMA Project is co-financed by the European Union and the Spanish Cooperation (AECID), with technical support from the Luxembourg Cooperation, Belgian Cooperation, and the Spanish Cooperation.
