The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to advancing dairy development in Nigeria to boost local milk production and reduce dependency on imports.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar gave the assurance when he received a delegation from the French Development Agency (AFD), led by its country director, Xavier Muron alongside representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in Abuja.
The minister stated that the ongoing dairy development programme, which will be driven by the private sector, forms a critical pillar of the Nigeria Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS); the Ministry’s core operational blueprint.
He highlighted several challenges affecting local milk production, including inadequate collection and storage infrastructure, high transportation costs and poor logistics. Despite these setbacks, he noted that some state governments have begun aligning with the livestock sector transformation agenda by allocating land — a key production resource.
Maiha stressed the importance of pastoralists utilising designated grazing reserves, where the government is initiating plans for breed improvement, disease control and pasture cultivation. These measures, he said, aim to reduce the migratory movement of livestock, which often results in clashes between herders and farmers.
“We want to discourage the movement of animals across regions due to the security risks and communal tensions it causes,” he said.
He assured the visiting team of the ministry’s full support, noting that Nigeria’s large and youthful population, with over 47 million children, provides a vast market for dairy products.
Muron, stated that the agency is actively implementing dairy value chain and pasture development programmes across West African countries in collaboration with ECOWAS.
“Our objective is to support local milk production, reduce importation and promote backward integration across the region,” he said.
In a statement, the ministry’s director of information and public relations, Ben Bem Goong revealed that the French agency is finalising arrangements to support Nigeria’s local milk producers through targeted grants.
