245
By Daniel Adaji
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, has pledged that all policies, programmes and projects of the Ministry will be fully integrated into Nigeria’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2026–2030, as the Federal Government moves to accelerate growth in the livestock sector.
Maiha made the pledge in Abuja at a three-day Top Management Retreat on the MTNDP 2026–2030, held from Monday, to Wednesday. He said the Ministry would strategically coordinate its interventions to ensure alignment with the national development framework.
According to him, the success of the livestock sector under the MTNDP would depend on clearly identifying and strengthening key drivers such as breed improvement, peacebuilding, feed development and disease management. He stressed that peace remains a non-negotiable foundation for sustainable development.
“Once we have peace, we can achieve stability and progress. Peace is central and must be treated as a national policy priority,” the Minister said.
He urged participants at the retreat to ensure that the Ministry’s plans and actions reflect national priorities and contribute meaningfully to economic growth and food security.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Chinyere Akujobi, said the retreat was organised to help staff critically assess the MTNDP framework and clearly define the roles of the Ministry and its parastatals within it.
She said the engagement was aimed at ensuring that all proposed interventions are results-driven, measurable and properly aligned with national development goals.
According to her, discussions at the retreat would focus on aligning sectoral priorities with the MTNDP pillars and results framework, harmonising programmes across departments and parastatals to eliminate duplication, and strengthening implementation, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
Akujobi also explained that the retreat would work on translating the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS) into actionable and costed inputs. She described NL-GAS as a 10-year roadmap designed to transform Nigeria’s livestock sector into a modern, market-oriented, climate-resilient and conflict-sensitive industry capable of contributing significantly to food security and economic growth.
Participants at the retreat included representatives of the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, directors and heads of parastatals and agencies under the Ministry, as well as Senior Special Assistants to the Minister.