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AU pushes for increase in Nigeria’s livestock population

The African Union (AU) is seeking to increase Nigeria’s 156 livestock million population to boost industry productivity and income of farmers.

In spite of having about 156.31 million ruminants—including cattle, camels, goats, and sheep—Nigeria trails behind Benin Republic, Burkina-Faso, Mauritania, Chad, Niger Republic and Kenya in its livestock-gross domestic product(GDP) contribution.

There were   goals of the continental meeting of African Union-InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) Resilient African Feed and Fodder Systems Project (RAFFS) held in Nairobi, Kenya.

 The continental meeting wants governments of Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, six African Union member states covered under the project, to make major strides towards improving the local production of milk and beef through alternative feed and fodder systems.

The high-level meeting by AU-IBAR aims to adopt strategies to counter livestock sector challenges.

It had   delegates from Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, six  African Union member states covered under the project.

The Director, AU-IBAR,Huyam Salih  said the six  countries, including Nigeria  have a population of close to 400 million people who face tremendous challenges that have profound implications for food and nutrition security.

She stressed that availability of feed is a key factor in ensuring the well-being of livestock, and subsequently, food security, adding that all the six countries have insufficient feed and fodder.

She said the project aims at raising the incomes of cattlemen and farmers in Nigeria and five other countries by increasing production and improving the quality of livestock.

As livestock are an important pathway out of poverty for the rural poor, she indicated that it has become critical to strengthen the capacity of livestock keepers to experiment with  fodder technologies to address the high cost of feed, increase  milk yields and the sale of dairy products  for the rural population whose livelihoods largely depend on livestock farming.

In her presentation, the Project Coordinator, RAFFS, Dr Sarah  Ossiya said feed is an important part of cattle health and has a substantial impact on yield. According to her, increasing poor access to concentrate feed and fodder, as well as poor feeding regimens mean that most cattle are not reaching their highest productivity potential.

 To improve the situation, she indicated that the project has taken up the challenge but specifically focused on Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda and Zimbabwe due to their unique contexts and challenges.

She wants more   women involved in livestock stock production to drive economic growth and foster resilience in the face of global challenges like climate change, global COVID-19 pandemic and conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

“We must change the narrative. It is us who decide it and to articulate it,” Dr Sarah  Ossiya said. She stressed the importance of establishing strategic collaborations aimed at enhancing resilience and increasing feed and fodder production.

At the meeting, Nigeria had notable delegates. These included the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, who was represented the  Director of Animal Husbandry Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security, Dr. Winnie Lai-Solarin, Chairperson of AWARFA-N, Dr. Chinyere Ikechukwu-Eneh and Group Head, Agric Finance and Solid Minerals, Sterling Bank, Olushola Obikanye, among others.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security said  Nigeria is  committed to developing its feed and fodder sector in a bid to promote economic growth and create job opportunities.

Through the AU-IBAR’s RAFF, the Minister indicated that the government  has set a strategy to overcome the challenges.

The Minister added that a lot of farmers have been trained in the whole production cycle of fodder crops.

He also added that the government had introduced strategic interventions such as supporting the introduction of multiplication farms and training farmers in good animal husbandry.

The Focus Person,AWARFA-N, Dr. Chinyere Ikechukwu-Eneh said  the chapter  was  seeking  to enhance women's participation and benefits across animal resource value chains, including feed and fodder.

She believes women could play pivotal roles in livestock production that will contribute to household, and community incomes.

She said there was  need for the intensification of livestock production to meet the increasing demands for livestock products.

During the meeting experts, government representatives, and stakeholders discussed strategies, investment areas, distilled information from the RAFFS survey and assessments to adopt strategies for a better feed and fodder sector to enhance food and nutrition security.

Since its rollout in January last year , the RAFFS Project has achieved significant milestones. Key actions include the selection of six core countries (Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe), stakeholder identification, and a continent-wide survey and assessments to understand the status of the feed and fodder sector. The project has closely collaborated with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and other stakeholders to develop reports, integrate findings into the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) 4th Biennial Review Report, and endorse urgent actions by the Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water, and Environment.