The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) with support from the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, has a Feedlot Management Training Programme aimed at preparing the country’s livestock value chain actors to tap into the $2.5 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) deal recently sealed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with global meatpacking giant, JBS.
The initiative, which is aimed at positioning Nigeria as a leading supplier of quality beef to domestic and global markets, will facilitate the building of six modern meat processing plants across the country, with two dedicated to beef, thereby boositng demand for premium feedstock from local producers.
Speaking at the opening session of the programme held in Abuja, Managing Director/CEO of NIRSAL Plc, Mr. Sa’ad Hamidu, elaborated on the programme’s strategic purposes.
He said: “This is not just another training; it is a targeted intervention aimed at creating bankable agribusinesses by improving feed formulation practices, reducing input waste, and optimizing livestock finishing cycles for increased market value.
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“As it is, we are preparing Nigerian livestock producers to feed not just the nation, but the world. And this aligns directly with the Federal Government’s vision for an agriculturally empowered, export-ready nation”, the CEO added.
Specifically, the programme targets the production of export-grade meat in Nigeria, while improving the productivity and profitability of the producers, amongst other benefits
Speaking at the event, the Director of Ranch and Pastoral Resources Development in the Ministry of Livestock Development, Shekamang Ayuba, who was a participant, described the training as “eye-opening and apt”, and canvassed its expansion nationwide.
With Nigeria’s livestock sector, rich in potential but hampered by obsolete practices, poor-quality feed, and limited financing, stands on the brink of genuine transformation, the NIRSAL’s intervention is aimed at unlocking the full potential of the sub-sector by addressing structural gaps through technical capacity-building, risk-sharing incentives for lenders, end-to-end value chain support, and strategic public-private collaborations.
Participants in the first cohort of the training programme were drawn from the Ministry of Livestock Development, the Agric Department of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), National Association of Cattle Dealers, Processors & Marketers of Nigeria (NACDPMAN), Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN), Maidoki Farms Ltd, and others.
Experts believe that though the $2.5 billion deal with JBS is the most notable in the series of investments bound for Nigeria’s livestock sub-sector, it is not the only one, adding that local companies like ABIS Group are also making significant investments in the meat value chain, creating further demand for high-quality feedstock.
