The Federal Government has unveiled plans to increase the contribution of Nigeria’s livestock sub-sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product from $32 billion to over $74 billion within the next 10 years.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this on Tuesday in Ilorin during a livestock stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Kwara State Government, which brought together more than 250 players across the livestock value chain.
Represented at the event by his Special Adviser, Mr Mark Mbaram, the minister said the Federal Government was committed to repositioning the livestock sector as a major driver of food security, job creation, and economic growth.
According to Maiha, food security remains a critical component of national security, which underpins the government’s decision to place livestock development on the front burner.
He said the ministry had developed a National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy aimed at boosting productivity and increasing the sector’s contribution to the economy.
‘The strategy has been internalised and approved by the National Economic Council. A special committee has also been set up to focus on ranching as a sustainable model for livestock development’, he said.
Maiha noted that the era of open grazing and itinerant herding is no longer sustainable, stressing that ranching remains the most viable option for modern livestock production.
‘The era of nomadism is gradually fading because it is no longer productive or profitable. Even my minister, who is a Fulani man, has consistently emphasised that ranching is the way forward. It allows for better animal management, higher productivity, and increased returns on investment’, he added.
The minister highlighted opportunities in the livestock sector, including beef production, poultry, dairy farming, micro-ruminants, and job creation, noting that while the sector had previously posed challenges to national development, it now has the potential to become a major economic asset.
Maiha commended the Kwara State Government for its commitment to livestock development, describing the state as a critical partner in implementing the ministry’s vision.
In her remarks, Kwara State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Mrs Oloruntoyosi Thomas, said the state government was determined to address challenges confronting the livestock sub-sector through stakeholder engagement and policy-driven interventions. She noted that participants at the programme included poultry farmers, pastoralists, crop farmers, ranchers’ associations, feed millers, the Nigerian Animal Science Association, the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, and young farmers’ groups.
Also speaking, the Director of Livestock Services in the ministry, Mohammed Ahmad Umar, said the sector had suffered years of neglect when it was under the Ministry of Agriculture, despite its huge economic potential. He added that the engagement was aimed at bringing value-chain actors together to identify challenges and proffer sustainable solutions.
‘Kwara State is committed to improving the livestock sector through partnerships with the private sector. We are also creating opportunities for financial support, market access, and off-taker arrangements for farmers’, Umar said.
The Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Olugbon Abdullateef Salman, stressed the importance of animal health in livestock productivity, urging farmers to prioritise vaccination and proper animal care.
‘Livestock farming is a profitable venture, but only when animals are healthy. Vaccination prevents diseases, reduces losses, and also protects humans from zoonotic infections that can be transmitted through the consumption of infected animals’, he said.
