The Kogi government has advanced the construction of a model veterinary hospital, a flagship project under the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support project.

The facility, to be built at the Cattle Value Cluster Osara, Adavi LGA, aims to strengthen animal health systems, improve livestock productivity, and enhance food safety and security.

Kogi’s commissioner for livestock development, Olufemi Bolarin, handed over the site to the contractor in Osara, Adavi.

Mr Bolarin described the project as a strategic investment in improved animal health service delivery, disease prevention, and control to improve livestock productivity in Kogi.

He noted that the project would revolutionise the state’s livestock sector by providing modern veterinary services, enhancing disease surveillance, and promoting the One Health approach.

He thanked the federal government, the World Bank, and the national L-PRES office for their support, saying the project aligns with the state’s developmental agenda and livestock transformation roadmap.

Mr Bolarin praised Governor Ahmed Ododo for his visionary leadership to transform the livestock sector into a modern, productive and resilient contributor to food security, public health and economic development.

The commissioner urged contractors to comply with approved designs, timelines, and quality specifications.

The project coordinator, Abdulkabir Otaru, said the hospital would address challenges faced by livestock farmers, including limited access to quality veterinary services and inadequate disease surveillance.

Mr Otaru emphasised that the facility will provide modern veterinary clinical services, disease diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance, and support improved animal disease surveillance and response capacity.

He commended the governor for creating an enabling environment for the project and for promptly paying the State counterpart funding for the implementation of the L-PRES project in Kogi.

(NAN)