President Tinubu Pledges To Boost Livestock Farming, Cut Nigeria’s Dependence On Dairy Imports

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday said his administration won't act like past governments that ignored livestock farming, adding that his government will work to reduce reliance on dairy imports.

Tinubu's statement was shared by his Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga during the opening of a two-day Consultative Workshop on Livestock Reforms at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.

"We didn't see the investment opportunities. We didn't see the economy of livestock in the past. Now that we have seen it, we must work together to restart the sector," Tinubu said in the statement, titled "Neglecting livestock farming in the past was a mistake that should not be repeated," as per the official X handle.

He promised to create a strong framework to boost the livestock sector, stating that his government would improve and reshape the industry to generate jobs and attract foreign investment.

The president emphasized the importance of the livestock sector, saying it needed proper support to benefit the country. He assured stakeholders that they would not regret collaborating and investing in this area.

Tinubu pointed out that it was unacceptable for a country with over 200 million people to provide only one pint of milk per day to children in classrooms.

He praised the Presidential Livestock Reform Implementation Committee, led by Co-Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega and Secretary Professor Muhammed Yahaya Kuta for their dedication to improving the livestock sector.

The president said that Nigeria's goal was to change the livestock sector from a basic subsistence model into a successful, commercial industry. The industry should greatly contribute to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provide good jobs and sustainable livelihoods for the growing population, he added.

Tinubu highlighted Nigeria's great potential, noting that the country has 563 million chickens, 58 million cattle, 124 million goats, 60 million sheep, and 16 million pigs, making it the top livestock producer in West Africa.

He also expressed concern about the challenges despite Nigeria's vast livestock resources, while pointing out that the country's annual production of animal-source foods was insufficient, with only 0.7 billion liters of milk, 1.48 million tonnes of meat, and 0.69 million metric tonnes of eggs produced.

The president noted that Nigeria's per capita consumption levels were very low compared to global averages, with only 8.7 liters of milk, 9 kg of meat, and 3.5 kg (or 45 eggs) per year.

In comparison, the global averages are 44 liters of milk, 19 kg of meat, and between 160 and 180 eggs per year. He expressed worry about the average milk yield from cows managed by pastoralists, which was only 0.5 to 1.5 liters per day.

This is much lower than the global average of 6.6 liters per day, and he believes Nigeria can do much better. He pointed out that the long-term neglect of the livestock sector has significantly increased the country's import bills, with milk and dairy products costing between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion.