Nigeria and UNIDO discuss digital livestock tracking for export growth
Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Livestock Development is discussing technical cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation to improve animal traceability, laboratory testing, certification and compliance with international trade standards. The proposed system is intended to support safer domestic food supplies and expand exports of meat, honey and other livestock products.
Nigeria’s Federal Government has opened discussions with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation on a system to identify and track livestock and livestock products through the value chain, the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development said on Tuesday. The proposed technical collaboration is intended to strengthen animal traceability, food safety and Nigeria’s ability to export meat, honey and other livestock products. It would cover animal identification, laboratory capacity, certification and compliance with international trade requirements.
Speaking during an engagement with UNIDO officials, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Chinyere Akujobi, said traceability would be essential if Nigeria was to expand livestock production and reach more international markets. She said trading partners needed to be able to follow meat and other products from the animal through the value chain. Akujobi said the planned measures should also protect consumers in Nigeria, rather than applying only to goods intended for export.
She said the ministry was developing a policy framework for animal identification and traceability and would welcome UNIDO’s technical advice on infrastructure, software and training. She also asked for UNIDO’s experience with identification technologies, including tags and microchips. The ministry said affordability, available equipment and long-term sustainability for farmers would need to be considered.
Other priorities identified by the ministry include disease-free zones or compartments, training for federal and state veterinary inspectors, stronger biosecurity and improved laboratory facilities. UNIDO Regional Programme Manager Adalberto Vieira said the organisation could support digital identification systems linked to databases. He said such links could improve animal health, consumer confidence and access to international markets.
UNIDO also indicated that it could assist with testing, inspector training, certification and assessments of existing national and regional capacity. The collaboration is still at the discussion stage.
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