By Felicia Imohimi
The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has commenced a national capacity-building programme for Quality Assurance Assessors in the North-West geopolitical zone to strengthen livestock standards and improve food safety.
The ministry said the programme was also aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of Nigeria’s livestock value chains in both domestic and international markets.
This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by Mrs Henrietta Okokon, Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations.
Participants at the training were drawn from Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Jigawa and Zamfara states.
The Director of Quality Assurance and Certification in the ministry, Dr Nurallah Abubakar, said quality assurance remained critical in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Abubakar said the credibility of livestock products depended on the integrity and competence of assessors responsible for evaluating standards.
He described the programme as the second phase of the ministry’s capacity-building initiative, aimed at strengthening quality assurance systems, food safety compliance, traceability mechanisms and regulatory standards across the livestock sector.
“The programme is designed to equip participants with technical knowledge, practical competencies and standardised tools required for objective, consistent and evidence-based assessment across livestock value chains.
“Quality assurance assessors play a dual role in ensuring regulatory compliance and driving continuous improvement among producers and processors, thereby strengthening consumer confidence, expanding market access and improving productivity across the sector.
“Participants should uphold the highest standards of professionalism, impartiality, integrity and confidentiality,” he said.
The Director of Veterinary and Livestock Services in Kaduna State, Dr Pakachi Zakariya, described the training as timely and essential for addressing persistent gaps in quality control, food safety and regulatory compliance within livestock systems.
He expressed concern over growing public health risks associated with unhygienic processing and transportation of livestock and dairy products in parts of the country.
“Strengthening quality assurance systems has become imperative for protecting consumers and improving market confidence.
“Ongoing reforms in the livestock sector will only succeed with a strong regulatory and quality assurance framework capable of supporting productivity, food safety and market access,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr Sani Bello, representative of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) in Kaduna State, said quality assurance was critical to improving productivity and reducing post-production losses.
He added that it would also enhance the competitiveness of Nigerian livestock products in regional and global markets.
(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
FUA/TAK
Edited by Tosin Kolade