{"id":122481,"date":"2025-09-24T20:22:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T19:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=122481"},"modified":"2025-09-24T20:22:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T19:22:00","slug":"nigeria-partners-belgium-on-improved-livestock-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigeria-partners-belgium-on-improved-livestock-production\/","title":{"rendered":"\u200eNigeria Partners Belgium on Improved Livestock Production"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Daniel Adaji<\/div>\n
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\u200eNigeria has deepened its partnership with Belgium in the livestock sector with the launch of the ABIS Livestock Academy in Abuja.<\/div>\n
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\u200eGovernment officials say the move will modernise the industry and boost its global competitiveness.<\/div>\n
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\u200eThe Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, speaking at the National Livestock Transformation Dialogue and the official launch of the academy recently, said Nigeria can no longer rely on outdated practices and weak knowledge transfer.<\/div>\n
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\u200e\u201cThe grazing reserve and the abattoir are two ends of the same vision,\u201d he stated.<\/div>\n
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\u200e\u201cAt one end, we raise animals sustainably; at the other, we process them to world-class standards. Between these two lies a value chain that creates jobs, empowers youth and women, drives growth, and secures Nigeria\u2019s place in the global livestock market,” Maiha said.<\/div>\n
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\u200eIn a statement on Wednesday, the Minister reaffirmed the Federal Government\u2019s commitment to transforming the livestock sector into a modern, resilient, and globally competitive industry.<\/div>\n
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\u200eHe praised ABIS for investing in abattoir modernisation, cold storage, and structured meat distribution, while unveiling the academy as a platform for technical training and capacity building across the value chain.<\/div>\n
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\u200eABIS Chairman, Emmanuel Usman, said the company\u2019s expanding facilities will create over 36,000 jobs nationwide, strengthen food security, promote sustainability through biogas innovation, and enhance Nigeria\u2019s export potential.<\/div>\n
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\u200eAlso speaking, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Sa\u2019ad Hamidu, revealed that in 2025 alone, NIRSAL trained over 490 livestock actors and facilitated more than N270 billion in loans and investments to players in the sector.<\/div>\n
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\u200eIn a related development, Minister Maiha received the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt, on a courtesy visit. The Ambassador announced an upcoming Belgian trade mission to Nigeria in November, which will focus on agriculture, food systems, cold-chain management, and artificial intelligence solutions for livestock identification and traceability.<\/div>\n
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\u200eThe Minister, in response, underscored the opportunities in Nigeria\u2019s vast livestock market, valued at over $33 trillion with more than 200 million ruminants. He highlighted areas of collaboration in genetics, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, feed and fodder, and advanced technologies.<\/div>\n
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\u200eHe expressed interest in Belgian expertise, particularly the Belgian Blue cattle breed, vaccines, and AI-driven cattle tagging for productivity, collateralisation, and data-driven livestock management.<\/div>\n
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