By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has announced plans to increase the contribution of Nigeria’s livestock sub-sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product from $32 billion to more than $74 billion within the next 10 years, as part of a broader strategy to enhance food security, generate employment, and stimulate economic growth.
The plan was disclosed on Tuesday, 20 January, 2026 in Ilorin, Kwara State, by the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, during a livestock stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Kwara State Government, which attracted over 250 participants from across the livestock value chain.
Represented 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 national development.
He explained that food security remained a key element of national security, hence the decision to place livestock development at the centre of government policy.
Maiha said the ministry had developed a National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy aimed at improving productivity and expanding the sector’s economic contribution.
According to him, the strategy has been internalised and approved by the National Economic Council, reflecting strong institutional backing for its implementation.
He further disclosed that a special committee had been constituted to focus on ranching as a sustainable model for livestock production, stressing that open grazing and itinerant herding were no longer sustainable in modern livestock management.
The Minister noted that nomadic practices were gradually fading because they no longer guarantee productivity or profitability.
He explained that ranching enables better animal management, higher productivity, and improved returns on investment, adding that the transition is being encouraged across all pastoral communities.
Maiha highlighted opportunities within the sector, including beef production, poultry, dairy farming,micro-ruminants, and employment generation.
He observed that although the livestock sector had previously posed challenges to national development, it now has the potential to become a significant economic asset.
Commending the Kwara State Government, Maiha described the state as a strategic partner in advancing the ministry’s vision for livestock development.
In her remarks, the Kwara State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Mrs Oloruntoyosi Thomas, said the state government was determined to tackle the challenges confronting the livestock sub-sector through stakeholder engagement and policy-based interventions.
She said participants at the engagement 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 experienced prolonged neglect when it was under the Ministry of Agriculture, despite its vast economic potential.
He explained that the engagement was aimed at bringing together value-chain actors to identify challenges and develop sustainable solutions.
Umar added that Kwara State was committed to improving the livestock sector through partnerships with the private sector, as well as creating opportunities for financial support, market access, and off-taker arrangements for farmers.
Meanwhile, the Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Olugbon Abdullateef Salman, emphasised the role of animal health in livestock productivity.
He urged farmers to prioritise vaccination and proper animal care, noting that vaccination prevents diseases, reduces losses, and protects humans from zoonotic infections that can be transmitted through the consumption of infected animals.
