By Seun Ibiyemi
The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nestlé Nigeria Plc to enhance animal genetics and improve farmers’ productivity in the country’s livestock sector.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, disclosed this on Wednesday during the signing ceremony, noting that the partnership would establish a dairy skills development centre to provide practical training for farmers in ranch management and dairy production.
Maiha described the initiative as a major shift for the livestock industry, aimed at tackling the shortage of technical expertise required to operate modern ranches and dairy farms.
He said Nigeria currently lacks specialised institutions offering hands-on training in large-scale dairy farm management, breeding, fodder production, and animal health.
According to the minister, the new centre will equip Nigerians with the skills needed to manage livestock as a viable business, while boosting investor confidence in the sector.
“The centre will help train Nigerians to manage livestock as a modern enterprise and increase investors’ confidence in the sector. You can train people to be bankers, lawyers and doctors; you can also train people to become farm managers. The first set of trainees is expected to graduate within one year,” he said.
Maiha added that the initiative aligns with the livestock transformation agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which seeks to improve productivity and reduce conflicts linked to livestock production.
Speaking at the event, Managing Director of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Wassim Elhusseini, said the agreement marked a transition from planning to implementation.
He noted that the company had earlier signed a letter of intent with the ministry in 2025 and has since made significant investments in dairy development.
Elhusseini disclosed that Nestlé has invested over N1.8 billion in the sector since 2019 through its livestock development project, yielding notable outcomes such as the aggregation of more than one million litres of raw milk, the training of over 2,000 pastoralists, and the vaccination of more than 36,000 cattle.
He expressed confidence that the new dairy training centre would build on these achievements and further strengthen Nigeria’s dairy value chain.
