The Federal Government says more than 1.44 million Nigerians have benefited from the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) since the programme began nationwide.
The National Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Dr Sanusi Abubakar, disclosed this during the project’s mid-term review meeting.
According to him, the number of beneficiaries has already exceeded the project’s initial target of 1.43 million people.
Abubakar said the review meeting was organised to assess implementation progress, identify gaps and develop strategies to improve delivery and expand the project’s impact across the livestock sector.
He explained that the beneficiaries include about 546,000 women and 903,000 men across different parts of the country.
“These interventions, ranging from training and advisory services to vaccination campaigns, pasture development, infrastructure support and input distribution, are helping farmers improve productivity, resilience and income generation,” he said.
The project has focused on strengthening livestock production, animal health services and rural livelihoods as part of broader efforts to improve food security and expand economic opportunities within the agricultural sector.
Abubakar said livestock production indicators have shown noticeable improvement since the beginning of the programme.
According to him, annual milk production per cow increased from 274.5 litres to 375.9 litres, while average cattle carcass weight rose from 135kg to 160kg.
He added that sheep production improved from 14.22kg to 21.43kg, while goat production also recorded steady growth.
The project coordinator identified animal health interventions as one of the major pillars of the programme, noting that improved veterinary support and livestock management services were helping farmers increase productivity.
He said the livestock industry remains a major economic opportunity for Nigeria with strong potential to create jobs, improve rural incomes, strengthen food security and support export growth.
Abubakar disclosed that more than 388,000 farmers had received agricultural support services under the programme, while over 101,000 farmers had adopted improved livestock technologies.
He also said over 6,184 personnel had undergone specialised training under the project.
The trained personnel include extension workers, veterinary officers and artificial insemination technicians supporting livestock service delivery nationwide.
According to him, 1,492 farmers have already benefited from artificial insemination services, with more than 3,489 cattle inseminated under the programme.
Abubakar said the project was also helping to strengthen household resilience and expand economic opportunities for women in rural communities.
He explained that L-PRES is funded by the World Bank with $500 million over a six-year period to improve livestock productivity, strengthen resilience and support value chain commercialisation.
He added that the programme aligns with the livestock transformation agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The World Bank Task Team Leader for L-PRES, Dr Menniviel Sene, called for faster implementation to ensure long-term benefits for farmers and rural communities.
The meeting was attended by officials of the World Bank, state project coordinators, the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science, the Veterinary Council of Nigeria and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, among others.
