Government Launches Regional Animal Husbandry Hubs to Boost $74 Billion Industry Expansion

The Federal Government has announced plans to establish state-specific Livestock Development Centres, aiming to transform Nigeria's livestock sector and increase its economic contribution from $32bn to at least $74bn by 2035 through federal, state, and private-sector partnerships.

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This initiative allows participating states to choose livestock species or value chains based on factors such as agro-ecology, producer base, feed and water resources, market demand, social acceptance, and investment potential, as explained by the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.

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According to Maiha, the initiative is designed to operationalise the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy, which was approved by the National Economic Council and has a 10-pillar roadmap to remove systemic bottlenecks and attract large-scale private investment.

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The National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy aims to increase the livestock sector's GDP contribution from $32 billion to at least $74 billion by 2035, with the Livestock Development Centre model serving as an implementation instrument for this nationally endorsed strategy.

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The Federal Government will be responsible for national policy, technical standards, food safety and animal health protocols, traceability requirements, data systems, investor facilitation, and regulatory coordination, while states will provide suitable land, local infrastructure, community engagement, security coordination, and producer mobilisation.

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Maiha emphasized that Nigeria's livestock transformation will succeed only if the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and State Governments act as partners with distinct but complementary responsibilities, with the Federal Government setting national policy and technical standards, and states providing practical support.

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Under the proposed arrangement, states will determine the species or livestock value chain to be developed after consulting with livestock producers, community leaders, and other stakeholders, and will allocate suitable land and provide enabling infrastructure, while the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development will provide expert advice and national coordination.

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Producers, cooperatives, and private investors will finance and operate the commercial components of the value chains, with the proposed centres serving as commercially oriented livestock productive alliance platforms that combine public goods with investable businesses.

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The minister stated that the centres could attract investments in various areas, including feed and fodder, breeding, animal health, aggregation, cattle finishing, dairy chilling, sheep and goat fattening, poultry meat and eggs, pig progeny centres, and meat processing.

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As of July 2024, when the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development was created, there were only three states with similar ministries, but today there are twenty states with ministries or agencies dedicated to the livestock sector, presenting opportunities for institutional synergy and cooperation.

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The framework will not impose a uniform livestock value chain on states, instead allowing each state to determine its priority based on its own livestock resources, with the state freely choosing and validating its priority species or value chain according to its naturally endowed resources.

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The model will support food and nutrition sovereignty, job and wealth creation, rural development, peace, social harmony, and shared prosperity, addressing challenges such as low genetics, water scarcity, land administration, and limited access to quality farm inputs.

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The ministry identified regional imbalance in livestock production as a challenge, with the North having a larger livestock population and the major market basin located in the South, creating a need for a state-specific approach to ensure security of supply.

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Maiha advised that each state should develop an investment plan based on its comparative advantage and the species available in the area, with the plan being demand-driven and taking into account local market demands.

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The ministry emphasized the importance of transparent site selection, community engagement, land documentation, and local infrastructure, with states leading these efforts and the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development providing national standards and technical assurance.

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The proposed centres will be open, regulated, and commercially oriented clusters, with private operators investing in and managing revenue-generating assets, and each centre having one primary commodity and, where justified, one complementary chain.

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Examples of existing or upcoming Livestock Development Centres include the 15,000ha centre in Ubahu-Nkanu East, Enugu State, for cattle ranching, dairy, and leather works, as well as the MilkyWay Dairy in Bokkos, Plateau State, and the 900-hectare Niegev Goat Ranch in Vandikia, Benue State.

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The minister noted that the Livestock Development Centres will be designed to promote women and young people's participation in enterprise ownership, value addition, and service delivery, going beyond short-term training or low-value informal tasks.

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The transformation of Nigeria's livestock sector requires a model that respects the diversity of the Federation while mobilising the power of private sector capital and coordinated investments along the value chains, according to Maiha.

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The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development will not develop every species in every location, instead focusing on disciplined federal-state-private sector partnerships to drive the desired transformation, with states requiring national technical, regulatory, financial, and market support.