Nigeria’s livestock sector is set for a potential transformation, with stakeholders rallying behind a private sector-led investment drive aimed at unlocking up to $3 billion in pastoral market opportunities over the next three to five years.
The investment drive took centre stage at a three-day forum in Abuja, where producers, processors, financiers and policymakers convened to negotiate deals, forge supply agreements and rebuild trust across a fragmented value chain.
Organised by the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) through its Africa Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) Platform, the event is part of a four-year initiative supported by the Gates Foundation.
With deals inked and reforms now aligned, stakeholders say the $3 billion investment could transform Nigeria’s pastoral economies into market-driven, inclusive and resilient systems — boosting growth, creating jobs and improving livelihoods for millions tied to livestock production.
The push underscores a broader shift: private-sector leadership is emerging as a key driver of agricultural transformation in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, Shekamang Ayuba, director of livestock extension and business development at the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, said that Nigeria holds West Africa’s largest livestock population, with about 54 million cattle and 250 million poultry birds.
According to him, supports the livelihoods of an estimated 75 million households and contributes roughly five percent of gross domestic product, valued at about $32 billion. Despite this scale, he noted that the country still imports about 60 percent of its dairy needs, underscoring deep inefficiencies across the value chain.
He explained that the gap between potential and performance is most evident in productivity.
“Milk yields from local cattle are less than 10 percent of global averages, while feed costs account for between 60 and 70 percent of total production expenses, leaving producers highly vulnerable to price shocks,” Ayuba said.
He noted that the government has begun laying the groundwork for transformation through a mix of policy frameworks and targeted investments while pointing National Livestock Master Plan, developed with support from the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), the International Livestock Research Institute and the Gates Foundation, as a comprehensive blueprint addressing systemic constraints from feed supply to animal health and market access.
He further highlighted the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy, which aims to scale the sector into a $74 billion to $90 billion industry by 2035 through partnerships involving state governments, private investors and international partners under a strengthened federal regulatory framework.
Ayuba noted that the six-year, $500 million World Bank-supported L-PRES programme, launched in 2022, is already targeting improved productivity and commercialisation across 20 states, with projected benefits for about 1.43 million people, at least 30 percent of them women.
According to him, the government alone cannot drive transformation of the country’s livestock sector. He noted that the future of the industry depends on bold, private sector-led investment across the entire chain – from feed to markets linkages.
Speaking also, Mohammed Eidie, private sector engagement expert, AU-IBAR explained that the Abuja forum was deliberately structured around business-to-business matchmaking, bringing pastoral producers and feedlot operators face-to-face with off-takers and financial institutions to generate concrete, bankable deals.
“The APMD Platform exists to ensure that market-driven transformation in pastoralism is not left to chance. What we are facilitating in Abuja is the infrastructure of trust—the handshakes and contracts that make a sector function.”
He explained that the platform is working across three pillars: strengthening private sector participation, improving policy environments and building robust data systems to support investment decisions, while integrating gender inclusion, youth employment, nutrition and climate resilience into its design.
“The outcomes we are targeting are specific and measurable—more supply agreements, new financing partnerships, and actionable policy reforms.” “When this works, it becomes a template that can be replicated across other pastoral economies in Africa.”
Ahmed Elbeltagy, policy pillar lead, APMD and a professor, said the initiative is positioning Nigeria for stronger economic growth through deeper private sector participation and stronger market linkages.
“The livestock sector holds immense potential and offers significant growth opportunities. Private sector-driven transformation will enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in regional and international markets while strengthening food security and reducing poverty,” he said.
Raymond Odulate, managing director, ABAT CBD Limited, called for increased support for licensed abattoirs, describing them as the “critical bridge” connecting pastoralists to urban consumers. However, he warned that most facilities are unable to scale due to deep structural constraints.
He noted that, despite being licensed, abattoirs across the country grapple with unreliable electricity and water supply, forcing operators to depend on costly diesel generators that undermine cold chain systems required for hygienic meat processing.
These challenges, he said, significantly raise operating costs and make it difficult to meet export-grade standards.
Odulate also highlighted the growing threat posed by informal and unregulated slaughter slabs, which continue to outcompete licensed facilities by avoiding taxes and health inspections
In her remarks, Evangeline Dan Yusuf, operations manager, SCL Future Food Systems, said the forum is coming at a critical time as the sector seeks reforms aimed at driving incentive-based capital investment through clear operational frameworks.
She emphasised that licensed abattoirs must be transformed into investment-ready hubs to unlock Nigeria’s livestock economy and strengthen pastoral market systems.
