Nigeria plans 10,000 jobs from each modern abattoir, minister says

Nigeria’s Federal Government is targeting about 10,000 jobs from each modern abattoir with capacity to process 500 cattle a day, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, said on Friday. Maiha made the announcement during a courtesy visit to Niger State Governor Umaru Bago in Minna, where he was assessing projects under the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, known as L-PRES. The minister said the facilities would be established through public-private partnerships and urged state governments to work with private operators to build and run abattoirs in their capitals.

He said the policy was part of an effort to replace the movement of live animals from northern to southern Nigeria with the transport of processed meat in refrigerated conditions. According to Maiha, transporting live cattle causes weight loss, accidents, waste and limited value addition. He said abattoirs could support related businesses including cattle fattening, pasture cultivation, feed production, animal health services and transportation.

Maiha identified feed and fodder, breed improvement and animal health management as the ministry’s three main priorities. He also proposed livestock development centres where pastoralists could settle and develop different value chains. He described nomadism as a survival response to shortages of food and water rather than a cultural practice.

The minister said Nigeria spends about $1.5bn annually importing dairy products despite having about 55 million cattle. He called for cooperation between the federal and state governments and private companies to raise milk production and reduce dependence on imports. Bago said Niger had secured $100m from Saudi Exim Bank, with an initial $10m allocated to irrigation projects supporting pasture production.

He said the scheme would provide water, feed, paddocks and veterinary services. The governor also said a supply arrangement would send about 200 cattle daily from Niger to two Abuja processors, with feedlots accommodating 18,000 to 20,000 cattle per cycle. He estimated the arrangement would create about 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.