ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu’s administration is targeting a major expansion of Nigeria’s livestock industry, with plans to increase the sector’s estimated economic contribution from about S32 billion to S74 billion within a decade.
The plan is part of the government’s broader effort to improve food security, create jobs and diversify an economy that remains heavily dependent on oil.
The Federal Government’s National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy aims to increase productivity and expand investment across cattle, dairy, poultry, sheep and goat production. Officials say the strategy could make livestock a much larger contributor to Nigeria’s economy by 2035.
The government is seeking investment in animal health, improved breeding, feed production, veterinary services, processing facilities and rural infrastructure. An African Development Bank support package worth S300 million has also been identified for areas including animal health, feed and breed improvement.
The World Bank-backed Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, known as L-PRES, is another major component of the effort. The six-year, S500 million project is designed to improve livestock productivity, resilience and commercialization across selected value chains.
For consumers, greater domestic production could eventually improve food supplies and reduce pressure from imported animal products. Nigeria’s large and growing population also provides a substantial domestic market for meat, dairy and poultry.
Many farmers have limited access to finance, quality feed, veterinary care, water, electricity and modern processing facilities. Traditional cattle movement and competition over land and water have also contributed to farmer-herder conflicts in several parts of Nigeria.
The government has promoted more organized livestock production and ranching as possible solutions, although land access and the future of pastoralist communities remain politically sensitive issues.
Nigeria has attempted livestock reforms under previous administrations, but progress has often been slowed by inadequate funding, weak infrastructure and disagreements over grazing policies.
The economic stakes extend beyond agriculture. A growing livestock industry could create businesses in animal-feed manufacturing, veterinary medicine, meat processing, dairy production, leather, transportation and cold storage.
The strategy is therefore being watched as part of Nigeria’s broader attempt to reduce its dependence on crude oil and build multiple sources of economic growth.
Still, the S74 billion target will depend on sustained investment and effective implementation.
For farmers, the immediate test will be whether government programs provide affordable finance, better animal health services and reliable access to markets.
For consumers, the measure of success will be simpler: whether the reforms eventually lead to more affordable and reliable supplies of meat, milk and other animal products.
If the government can turn its investment plans into higher productivity and stronger value chains, officials believe livestock could become one of Nigeria’s most important non-oil economic sectors over the next decade.
Livestock has supported Nigerian communities for generations through cattle, sheep, goats and poultry. However, the sector has largely remained informal and faces persistent challenges involving finance, animal health, infrastructure, land and markets.
Successive governments have attempted to modernize production, while disputes over grazing and land have contributed to farmer-herder violence in parts of the country.
The establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development under Tinubu represents a renewed attempt to give the industry dedicated policy attention.
The government’s current strategy targets an increase from about S32 billion to S74 billion by 2035, while international development financing is being used to improve productivity and commercialization.
