The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, says Nigeria is prioritising food security and global competitiveness, as well as transforming the country’s livestock industry.

Speaking at the 2025 Animal Science Meeting and Industry Exposition in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister said that transforming the sector in Nigeria would have a positive impact across Africa and beyond.

Mr Maiha said that to achieve the desired sector development and global competitiveness, the country must first transform its animal breeds while preserving their genetic heritage. The minister said that, although challenges persist, Nigeria’s livestock industry has the potential to compete globally through collaborations, partnerships, and looking inward for creative solutions.

He also noted that Nigeria’s livestock sector, in spite of being considered a national asset valued at about N30 trillion, contributes less than three per cent to the national GDP. He, therefore, challenged animal scientists and other stakeholders in the sector to use the opportunity to “ask the tough questions and come up with the right answer”.

In his remarks, the president of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science, Simeon Ohwofa, said the institute has come of age in training and providing qualified professionals for the livestock industry. He said that the institute currently has 2,936 Registered Animal Scientists (RAS) and 154 Associate Animal Scientists, 127 of whom are Fellows.

Mr Ohwofa said that the 252 new RAS and five AAS who were inducted at the event had undergone full training and were adjudged worthy in character and learning to represent the profession.

He said that, globally and across Africa, livestock accounts for about 40 per cent of agricultural GDP, adding that investment in the sector in Nigeria remains low. He also noted that small- and medium-sized livestock producers in Nigeria face numerous complex, interlinked constraints.

He mentioned low productivity due to limited access to knowledge, technologies, and input services, particularly in breeding, feeding, and animal health. He also cited poor infrastructure limiting their access to services and to livestock markets; the effects of climate change; and dealing with the negative environmental impacts of intensive rural and peri-urban production systems.

(NAN)