Minister of Livestock Commits to Formalizing $10 Billion Sector with New Ranching Strategy

Nigeria’s livestock sector, a vital economic engine valued at approximately $10 billion annually, is set for a major, transformative overhaul, according to Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, the Minister of Livestock Development.

Addressing stakeholders at the Nigeria Deal Room at the AFSF 2025, the Minister underscored the sector’s importance, noting it contributes a significant 32 per cent to Nigeria’s agricultural GDP, yet its massive potential remains substantially untapped due to outdated practices and poor logistics.

The Minister emphasized that the current systems fail to capture the full value of the sector’s output, which includes the 2.5 million tonnes of eggs and 1.5 million tonnes of milk produced annually. He pointed out that this pervasive inefficiency mirrors the post-harvest crisis plaguing crop production.

He described the Ministry’s mission as crucial: “Every family in Nigeria has one form of livestock or the other, and they look to the livestock sector for protein, for food, and for social security.”
The cornerstone of this new, aggressive policy is the commitment to establish at least one commercial cattle-fattening and ranching company in every Nigerian state.

This landmark initiative is explicitly designed to transition the industry towards modern, sedentary, and commercially viable practices.

By concentrating production, the government can efficiently deploy necessary infrastructure, including standardized feeding programs and processing facilities, thereby reducing the immense movement of animals.

Furthermore, the Minister stated that the concentration of livestock production is the critical first step in formalizing the supply chain.

He anticipates that the establishment of dedicated ranching facilities will naturally spur investment in associated cold chain infrastructure for meat and dairy, leading to higher quality, standardized products, and better integration with national and export markets. Alhaji Maiha concluded with an optimistic call to action for the private sector: “If you invest now, you get dollar. You get to employ our young boys and girls.”