Chidimma Uchegbu – Abuja
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has called on Nigerian youths to embrace the enormous opportunities within the livestock sector.
He declared Livestock farming as “the alternative to crude oil” and a key driver of job creation, food security, and economic transformation.
Maiha made the declaration, Tuesday, in Abuja, during his keynote address at the 2025 AYuTe Nigeria Challenge, an initiative powered by Heifer International Nigeria to support young agri-tech innovators..
Speaking to a packed audience of young agritech innovators, development partners, and stakeholders in Abuja, Maiha praised the brilliance and potential of Nigerian youth, describing them as “the future inheritors of this nation’s prosperity.”
In a statement signed by Oghenekevwe Uchechukwu of the Press and Public Relations Department of the Ministry, the Minister drew parallels between their innovative spirit and the legacy of Dan West, the founder of Heifer International, who in 1944 turned a simple dream into a global movement against hunger and poverty.
“The light I see in you today is the same spark that started great revolutions,” the Minister declared. “This gathering has reassured me that the future of agriculture, particularly livestock development, is in safe hands.”
The Minister further unveiled an ambitious strategy to grow Nigeria’s livestock sector from its current value of $32 billion to $74 billion by 2035, identifying youth and women as critical drivers of this transformation.
He outlined a series of government-backed initiatives aimed at stimulating youth-led agribusinesses, including the allocation of 51,000 hectares of land, partnerships with Gulf States for pasture exports, and plans to rehabilitate 417 grazing reserves nationwide.
“We have what it takes to eliminate hunger in this country,” said the Minister. “Fifteen million heads of cattle, 60 million sheep, 600 million chickens, 1.4 million goats, 700,000 camels and vast agricultural land, yet we import milk. This is not a problem; this is an opportunity. What we need now is to activate the entrepreneurial spirit in our young people.”
Maiha challenged participants to reimagine agriculture through technology and precision farming, replacing traditional tools with drones, sensors, and smart devices. “We must move beyond the hoe. Precision farming is the future,” he stressed.
He also cited massive potential in school feeding programmes, noting that if each of Nigeria’s 47 million primary school pupils received just half a litre of milk daily, the demand would create over 23 million litres of dairy needs daily, translating into thousands of jobs across the dairy value chain.
In her goodwill message, representive of the Minister of Youth Development, Kehinde Awujoola, reiterated the government’s support for youth-led agri-solutions to combat food insecurity.
“Food insecurity affects our communities and limits our people’s potential. But the ingenuity of Nigerian youth is a powerful, often untapped resource,” she stated.
Awujoola highlighted initiatives such as the newly launched Farmers Enrollment Portal, which offers youth access to training, mentorship, and financial support across the agricultural value chain.
On his part, Country Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Dr. Michael Ojo, stressed the importance of redefining agriculture to engage the younger generation.
“We talk about agriculture as just farming or herding, but we should be talking about agribusiness and Agritech, spaces where Nigerian youth are already proving themselves as global leaders,” he said.
Earlier, Heifer International Nigeria’s Communication Manager, Mr. Chuba Ezeigwe, in his welcome remarks, described the journey of the 2025 AYuTe Challenge as inspiring. “From our soft launch on February 27th to today, we’ve seen immense interest, nearly a thousand applicants, and we are proud to see the calibre of ideas showcased,” he said.
Ezeigwe added, “Our aim was not just to find the brightest ideas but to nurture them into scalable agritech solutions.”
Heifer International Nigeria Country Director, Mr. Lekan Tobe, shared the organization’s vision and history, noting that AYuTe, which initially launched as an Africa-wide competition with $1.5 million in prizes, now operates in multiple countries.
“In Nigeria, this is its fourth year, with top three winners receiving $20,000, $12,000 and $8,000 respectively, but the support goes beyond funding. We mentor the youth beyond the award stage. Our goal is to see these brilliant ideas become scalable enterprises that support smallholder farmers and advance the government’s vision for agricultural development,” he added.
The 2025 AYuTe Nigeria Challenge is part of Heifer International’s mission to catalyze innovation among young agritech entrepreneurs and scale sustainable solutions for food security in Africa.
The event also featured inspiring pitches by finalists and showcased tech-driven agri-solutions poised to transform farming practices in Nigeria.
