FG Targets $74bn GDP Boost from Livestock Sector

The Federal Government has announced plans to raise the contribution of Nigeria’s livestock sub-sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product from about $32 billion to more than $74 billion over the next decade.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, made this known on Tuesday in Ilorin at a livestock stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Kwara State Government, which attracted over 250 participants from across the livestock value chain.

Speaking through his Special Adviser, Mark Mbaram, the minister said the government was determined to reposition the livestock sector as a key driver of food security, employment generation, and economic growth.

Maiha explained that food security is a vital element of national security, hence the decision to prioritise livestock development. He disclosed that the ministry has formulated a National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy designed to improve productivity and significantly expand the sector’s economic contribution.

He noted that traditional nomadic practices are gradually giving way, as they are no longer productive or profitable, stressing that ranching remains the most sustainable and efficient model for modern livestock production. According to him, ranching enables better animal management, higher yields, and improved returns on investment.

The minister added that the strategy has been adopted and approved by the National Economic Council, with a special committee established to drive the transition to ranching as a sustainable approach to livestock development. He emphasised that open grazing and itinerant herding are no longer viable in today’s economic and environmental realities.

Highlighting the sector’s vast potential, Maiha pointed to opportunities in beef production, poultry, dairy farming, micro-ruminants, and large-scale job creation. He noted that while the livestock sector had previously posed challenges to national development, it now holds promise as a major economic asset.

Maiha also commended the Kwara State Government for its commitment to advancing livestock development, describing the state as a strategic partner in implementing the ministry’s agenda.

In her remarks, the Kwara State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, said the state government is committed to addressing challenges in the sub-sector through continuous stakeholder engagement and policy-driven solutions. She noted that participants at the event included poultry farmers, pastoralists, crop farmers, ranchers’ associations, feed millers, professional bodies, and youth farming groups.

Also speaking, the Director of Livestock Services in the ministry, Mohammed Ahmad Umar, said the sector had suffered years of neglect despite its enormous economic potential. He explained that the engagement was designed to bring value-chain actors together to identify challenges and propose sustainable solutions, adding that Kwara State is pursuing partnerships with the private sector to improve access to finance, markets, and off-taker arrangements for farmers.

The Director of Veterinary Services, Olugbon Abdullateef Salman, underscored the importance of animal health to productivity, urging farmers to prioritise vaccination and proper animal care. He noted that healthy livestock not only boosts profitability but also reduces losses and protects public health by preventing the spread of diseases transmissible to humans.