The Federal Government has announced plans to raise Nigeria’s livestock sub-sector contribution to Gross Domestic Product from about $32 billion to over $74 billion within the next decade.
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 attracted more than 250 participants across the livestock value chain.
Represented by his Special Adviser, Mr Mark Mbaram, the minister said the Federal Government was repositioning the livestock sector to drive food security, employment, and inclusive economic growth, stressing that food security remains central to national security.
Maiha said the ministry had developed a National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy to improve productivity and expand the sector’s economic contribution, adding that the strategy had been approved by the National Economic Council.
He also revealed that a special committee had been constituted to promote ranching as a sustainable model for livestock development, noting that open grazing and itinerant herding were no longer viable.
“The era of nomadism is gradually fading because it is neither productive nor profitable.
Ranching allows for better animal management, higher productivity, and improved returns on investment,” he said.
The minister identified beef production, poultry, dairy, micro-ruminants, and job creation as key opportunities in the sector, describing livestock as a potential economic asset rather than a development challenge.
He commended the Kwara State Government for its commitment to livestock development, describing the state as a strategic partner in implementing the Federal Government’s livestock reform agenda.
In her remarks, the Kwara State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Mrs Oloruntoyosi Thomas, said the state was adopting stakeholder-driven and policy-based interventions to address challenges in the sub-sector.
She said participants at the engagement included poultry farmers, pastoralists, crop farmers, ranchers’ associations, feed millers, professional bodies, and youth-led farming groups.
Also speaking, the Director of Livestock Services at the ministry, Mohammed Ahmad Umar, said years of neglect had limited the sector’s performance despite its vast potential, adding that proper coordination could significantly boost national output.
The Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Olugbon Abdullateef Salman, emphasised the role of animal health in productivity, urging farmers to prioritise vaccination and proper livestock management to reduce losses and prevent zoonotic diseases.