Chidimma Uchegbu -Abuja
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, and officials of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Identification Mission, have held talks on priority funding needs of the miniatry.
The AfDB team was led to the parley by Dr. Damian Ihedioha, Senior Agricultural Development Leader.
The meeting marked the conclusion of the mission and focused on exploring priority areas for potential funding to transform Nigeria’s livestock sector.
A statement signed by the Head, Press and Public Relations, Oghenekevwe Uchechukwu stated that the Minister highlighted the overarching objective of ensuring year-round availability of quality feed, fodder, and sustainable water resources to enhance livestock productivity, resilience, and reduce conflicts.
Key interventions discussed were structured around six key components – Feed, Fodder, and Water, aimed at ensuring year-round availability of quality feed, fodder, and sustainable water resources; Animal Health Services, focused on disease prevention, control, and improved livestock productivity; and Value Chain Development and Animal Breed Improvement, targeting genetic improvement, value addition, and market competitiveness.
Other Components include Livestock Enterprise Support Programme, designed to empower youth and women with starter packs, training, and market linkages; Finance and Insurance, providing accessible financing and livestock insurance schemes; and Institutional Capacity and Project Coordination, which strengthens human capacity, multi-level coordination, and monitoring for effective implementation of the programme.
The AfDB delegation expressed optimism about the strategic interventions and pledged to explore funding options to support the Ministry’s vision of a resilient, productive, and commercially competitive livestock sector.
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