The Federal Government of Nigeria has set a target to create approximately 10,000 jobs from each 500-cattle-per-day capacity abattoir established through public-private partnerships across the country. This initiative is part of a broader effort to transform the livestock sector by shifting from live animal transportation to local meat processing. Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, announced this during a courtesy visit to Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State.
Maiha emphasized the need for state governments to partner with private sector operators to establish and operationalize modern abattoirs in their respective capitals. These facilities, he noted, would have a catalytic effect on backward integration, creating opportunities for young people in cattle fattening, pasture cultivation, feed production, animal health services, and transportation. This approach aims to reduce the current practice of transporting live animals from the North to the South, which results in loss of animal weight, accidents, waste, and limited value addition.
The Minister identified feed and fodder, breed improvement, and animal health management as the ministry's three major priorities. He also mentioned that the ministry would work with state governments to encourage the establishment of livestock development centers where pastoralists could settle and develop various livestock value chains. According to Maiha, nomadism is not a cultural practice but a survival mechanism through which herders move animals from areas of scarcity to areas of abundance.
Maiha highlighted the potential of the livestock sector to absorb unemployed youths, citing activities such as egg production, poultry, milk production, and goat processing, which could generate income throughout the year. He also noted that improved breeding would enable Nigeria to increase milk production, reducing the country's reliance on imported dairy products. Nigeria currently spends about $1.5 billion annually on dairy product imports despite having approximately 55 million cattle.
Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State responded by saying the state would address the shortage of pasture by promoting the cultivation of animal feed. The state has secured $100 million from the Saudi Exim Bank, with an initial $10 million being deployed to irrigation projects aimed at supporting pasture production. Bago's initiative aims to provide water, feed, paddocks, and veterinary services while creating incentives for pastoralists to settle and engage in organized livestock production.
Bago also mentioned an arrangement brokered by El-Presco for Niger State to supply about 200 cattle daily to Niger Food and Abis in Abuja. Each production cycle is expected to accommodate between 18,000 and 20,000 cattle in feedlots, creating about 20,000 direct and indirect jobs. Additionally, the governor appealed to the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development to review its L-PRES investment plans to ensure Niger State remains part of the program.
The initiative has already shown positive results, with Hajiya Aisha Ahmed-Nasir, CEO of Zaima Farm, noting that the L-PRES intervention has significantly improved the farm's poultry production and processing capacity. The intervention provided key infrastructure, including access roads and a broiler processing unit, enabling the farm to process poultry in a clean and hygienic environment. This development has opened up opportunities for farmers within and outside Niger State to access the facility.
Key points
- The Federal Government aims to create 10,000 jobs per abattoir through public-private partnerships.
- The initiative seeks to transform the livestock sector by shifting from live animal transportation to local meat processing.
- Nigeria currently spends about $1.5 billion annually on dairy product imports despite having approximately 55 million cattle.
