Nigeria’s government has set an ambitious target to more than double the contribution of the livestock sector to the national economy over the next decade, as it seeks to boost food security, create jobs and curb long-standing challenges linked to traditional herding practices.
The Federal Government plans to raise the livestock sub-sector’s contribution to gross domestic product to more than US$74 billion within 10 years, up from an estimated US$32 billion currently, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said.
Speaking at a livestock stakeholders’ engagement in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, Maiha said the strategy forms part of a broader effort to reposition livestock as a key driver of economic growth and national stability. The event, organised by the Kwara State Government, brought together more than 250 participants across the livestock value chain, including farmers, pastoralists, veterinarians and agribusiness operators.
The minister, represented by his special adviser, Mark Mbaram, said food security had become a core component of Nigeria’s national security agenda, prompting the government to prioritise reforms in livestock production.
“Livestock development is no longer a peripheral issue. It is central to food security, employment generation and economic diversification,” he said.
More Read
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has struggled for years with low productivity in its livestock sector despite having one of the continent’s largest cattle, sheep and goat populations. The sector has also been at the centre of violent clashes between nomadic herders and settled farming communities, particularly in central and southern regions.
Maiha said the government had developed a National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy designed to modernise the sector, improve productivity and attract investment. The plan has been approved by the National Economic Council, which brings together federal and state authorities.
As part of the reforms, a special committee has been established to promote ranching as a sustainable alternative to open grazing, which officials increasingly view as economically inefficient and socially destabilising.
More Read
“The era of open grazing and itinerant herding is no longer sustainable,” Maiha said. “Ranching allows for better animal management, higher productivity and improved returns on investment.”
He added that even within pastoral communities there was growing recognition that nomadic systems were becoming less viable. “The era of nomadism is gradually fading because it is no longer productive or profitable,” he said, stressing that modern livestock production required settled systems, access to veterinary services and better feed management.
The government sees significant growth potential across multiple livestock segments, including beef, poultry, dairy and micro-ruminants such as sheep and goats. Officials also highlighted the sector’s capacity to generate employment, particularly for young people, through processing, logistics and ancillary services.
Kwara State officials said they were positioning the state as a key partner in the federal government’s livestock reform agenda. The state’s Commissioner for Livestock Development, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, said sustained dialogue with stakeholders was critical to addressing structural challenges in the sub-sector.
Participants at the Ilorin meeting included poultry farmers, pastoralist groups, ranchers’ associations, feed mill operators, veterinary professionals and representatives of youth farming organisations, she said.
Federal officials acknowledged that the livestock sector had suffered years of underinvestment when it was overseen solely by the Ministry of Agriculture. Mohammed Ahmad Umar, Director of Livestock Services at the ministry, said the sector’s economic potential had long been underestimated.
More Read
“If properly harnessed, livestock can significantly boost Nigeria’s economy,” he said, adding that closer coordination among value-chain actors was essential to unlock growth.
Animal health was also identified as a critical constraint. The Director of Veterinary Services, Olugbon Abdullateef Salman, urged farmers to prioritise vaccination and disease control, warning that poor animal health reduced productivity and posed risks to human health through zoonotic diseases.
“Livestock farming is profitable only when animals are healthy,” he said.
Analysts say the success of Nigeria’s livestock ambitions will depend on effective implementation, financing and buy-in from states and local communities, particularly in regions where resistance to ranching remains strong. If achieved, however, the reforms could transform a historically informal sector into a major pillar of Africa’s largest economy.
