President Bola Tinubu announced the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development in July to enable Nigeria to finally take advantage of livestock farming. He becomes president to do so.
Since the creation of the Ministry, stakeholders have expressed hope that the new ministry will bring huge economic benefits that will promote economic growth in the country.
Prof. Mohammed Yahaya Kuta, the secretary of the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee, in an exclusive interview with the Press recently, highlighted ways the ministry would strengthen the nation’s agricultural economy.
“With due acknowledgement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for making history as the first president to chair such a problem-solving committee and respond positively by the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development. Hence, Nigeria will no longer be bench warmer even in the international arena when committees are constituted.
“We will provide quality leadership. It will no longer be a director of Animal Husbandry representing Nigeria where ministers from other smaller countries chair such important meetings and no director will be allowed to chair when there are sitting ministers,” he said.
Currently, the livestock sector contributes approximately 7-9% to Nigeria’s GDP.
This is a far cry from other countries in West Africa with several years of the ministry and outstanding performance like Burkina Faso with 55% contribution to agricultural GDP and similar high figures obtainable in Mali, Chad and even Benin Republic, Senegal etc.
Officially, the livestock sector supports over 20 million Nigerians. By developing value chains for livestock products, the ministry can create numerous job opportunities across various segments, including production, processing and distribution. This could lead to a decrease in unemployment rates and an increase in household incomes.