In anticipation of the increasing demand for dairy and other animal-sourced foods in Nigeria and West Africa, the federal government has announced plans to address decades of underperformance in the sector through effective policies, investments, and partnerships.
Professor Attahiru Jega, Co-Chair of the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee (PLRIC), provided this assurance on Thursday in Abuja. He stated that the challenges hindering sufficient domestic production—such as inadequate feed and pasture systems, low breed productivity, conflicts between farmers and herders, climate challenges, insufficient financing, and limited adoption of modern technologies—are conquerable.
Speaking at the 2025 Friesland Campina WAMCO CNDDD Annual Dairy Development Webinar, Jega, represented by Professor Demo Kalla, Director of the Dairy Research and Development Centre at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi and a member of the PLRIC, emphasised the current administration’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s dairy sector through coordinated reforms and strategic partnerships. He noted that the recently validated National Dairy Policy Implementation Framework marks a significant advancement in providing a long-term roadmap to enhance the dairy ecosystem.
He urged for decisive actions to establish a productive and sustainable dairy value chain that aligns with the country’s population growth, highlighting that, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), dairy consumption in West Africa could increase by over 500% by 2050.
“With the right policies, investments, and partnerships, Nigeria can reverse decades of underperformance,” he asserted, maintaining that the challenges of insufficient production are not insurmountable.
Jega outlined four strategic pillars for achieving dairy self-sufficiency: enhancing productivity through improved pastures, genetics, and veterinary services; ensuring sustainability through climate-smart practices and renewable energy; fostering innovation via digital tools for traceability, disease surveillance, and market integration; and cultivating partnerships to encourage collaboration among government, industry, academia, and development partners.
He highlighted two landmark initiatives from President Bola Tinubu’s administration: the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development to spearhead systemic reforms and the creation of PLRIC to ensure strategic coordination among ministries, states, and stakeholders.
“Private-sector investment is already on the rise, with companies like FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Arla Foods, Danone, L&Z, and Sebore Farms expanding milk collection, farmer training, and backward integration. Development partners, including DDP, ALDDN, GIZ, and the EU-VACE TARED programme, have been recognised for their support in capacity building, climate-smart research, and value-chain enhancements,” he noted.
He emphasised the necessity of coordinated national action over isolated interventions, advocating for modern production clusters, the expansion of cold-chain logistics, cooperative models, stronger regulatory systems, and the proposed Dairy Academy for human capital development.
Jega reiterated that the National Dairy Policy offers a clear framework to stimulate public–private investment aimed at achieving milk self-sufficiency, enhancing productivity, and establishing a globally competitive Nigerian dairy sector.
“Our vision is to create a dairy industry that provides affordable nutrition, empowers smallholders to become prosperous producers, and ensures that no child suffers from stunting due to the high cost or unavailability of milk.
“With our population, market potential, natural resources, and expertise, Nigeria can emerge as a leading dairy producer in Africa and a cornerstone of national development and economic transformation,” he concluded.
In his remarks, Kalla reiterated that the National Dairy Policy provides a clear framework for driving public–private investment towards achieving milk self-sufficiency, higher productivity, and a globally competitive Nigerian dairy sector.
He explained that the policy was developed through extensive engagement with stakeholders from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and industry partners, charting a roadmap to transform the sector from low-productivity operations to modern, technology-enabled, commercially viable enterprises.
Kalla added that with stakeholder validation of the implementation framework, the government is set to create an enabling environment that nurtures innovation-driven value chains and empowers smallholders and private investors.
He identified key opportunities, including the expansion of domestic milk production, strengthening cold chain and logistics, mobilising technology, facilitating backward integration by processors, creating jobs, improving nutrition, and reducing imports.
The policy also addresses significant challenges such as poor husbandry practices, low feed quality, high disease burdens, weak animal health systems, pressures from climate change, inadequate grazing and water resources, poor infrastructure, and limited access to finance, alongside weak value-chain coordination.
