The federal government has projected that Nigeria’s livestock sector has the potential to grow into a ₦74 billion economy by 2035 if fully harnessed.

This was disclosed by the Special Assistant to the Minister of Livestock Development, Sale Momale, on Friday in Abuja during a workshop on “Promotion of Peaceful Coexistence among Farming and Pastoral Communities through Strengthening the Role of Media in the Development of the Livestock Industry in Nigeria.”

The workshop was organised under the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme, a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office-funded intervention in collaboration with the livestock ministry.

Mr Momale stressed the need for mass mobilisation of citizens, investment opportunities across the livestock value chain, and the promotion of peace and social harmony as key drivers of growth in the industry.

He highlighted the instrumental role of the media in shaping perceptions and advancing government strategies. 

According to him, the workshop created a platform for dialogue and equipped participants with priority programmes and effective messaging to build a “robust and viable livestock industry.”

“We are optimistic that organising production along this line will transform the sector, create job opportunities, sustainable livelihoods and improve productivity within the forthcoming years, achieving a ₦74 billion growth rate by 2035,” Mr Momale said.

He added that the ministry’s major focus remains on capacity-building for producers and value chain actors across major livestock species, alongside frameworks and funding mechanisms designed to incentivise broad-level youth and women participation.

Also speaking, Damian Ihekoronye, Advocacy and Coalition Lead at the SPRiNG programme, urged the media to adopt conflict-sensitive reporting when covering farming and pastoral issues.

Mr Ihekoronye called on the livestock ministry to deepen its engagement with journalists by providing accessible and accurate information that could enlighten the public.

“The ministry is helping Nigeria to transition from the old ways of raising our livestock and managing our livestock to modern ways that could be economically beneficial to every Nigerian”.

“It will also help to reduce the unnecessary conflict that is usually associated with the agricultural sector,” he said.

Source: People Gazette

Image Credit: The Nation