By Felicia Imohimi
The Federal Government and Nestlé Nigeria Plc on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve animal genetics and enhance farmers’ productivity.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, said at the ceremony that the initiative would provide the country with a dairy skills development centre to offer hands-on training for farmers on ranch management and dairy production, irrespective of breed.
Maiha described the MoU as a significant shift in the livestock sector.
He said the intervention was aimed at addressing a major challenge in Nigeria’s dairy industry; the shortage of practical technical skills required to operate modern ranches and dairy farms.
According to him, Nigeria currently lacks specialised institutions where individuals can acquire hands-on training in large-scale dairy farm management, breeding, fodder production and animal health.
“The centre will help train Nigerians to manage livestock as a modern enterprise and increase investors’ confidence in the sector.
“You can train people to be bankers, lawyers and doctors; you can also train people to become farm managers.
“The first set of trainees is expected to graduate within one year,” he said.
Maiha added that the initiative aligns with the livestock transformation agenda of President Bola Tinubu, aimed at improving productivity and reducing conflicts associated with livestock production.
The Managing Director of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Mr Wassim Elhusseini, said the partnership marked a transition from intent to execution.
He explained that the company had earlier signed a letter of intent with the ministry in 2025.
Elhusseini said Nestlé had invested over N1.8 billion in dairy development since 2019 through its livestock development project.
According to him, the investment has yielded measurable results, including the aggregation of over one million litres of raw milk, the training of more than 2,000 pastoralists, and the vaccination of over 36,000 cattle.
He said the new centre would expand these gains and strengthen Nigeria’s dairy value chain. (NAN)
Edited by Tosin Kolade
