Academy to bridge knowledge, skill gaps in livestock value chain

The ABIS Livestock Academy will bridge critical knowledge and skill gaps within the livestock work force, enhance productivity and value chain efficiency. It will also enhance food safety, support regulatory compliance and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on livestock-related imports by modernizing production and processing systems.

Speaking during the Technical Expert Validation session of the Curriculum of the Academy at NIRSAL auditorium, the Co-Founder of ABIS Group, Dr. Iliyasu Gashinbaki said at the heart of the Academy’s mandate is a national development objective – to produce a competent, compliant and commercially viable livestock workforce capable of strengthening food security, promoting inclusive rural development, improving public health outcomes and positioning Nigeria as a credible participant in regional and global livestock, halal and agribusiness markets.

This is in line with the aspirations of ABIS Group Founder & Chairman, Ambassador Emmanuel Nelson Usman who at the earlier unveiling of the Academy said it is a national platform dedicated to technical training, certification, and institutional knowledge transfer in the livestock value chain. “The Academy will equip young Nigerians, extension workers, and industry professionals with the skills required for primary production, processing, market development, research, and sustainability,” he had added.

Expounding on the curriculum under validation, Gashinbaki explained that it adopts a tiered, competency-based approach rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. “The curriculum progresses from foundational learning to advanced professional specialization. It provides foundational skills for smallholders and new entrants through short entry-level courses, applied training certificate programmes for supervisors and enterprise operators and at its highest level, professional certification programmes for senior managers, policymakers, and consultants. Across all levels, the curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning and aligns with national and international standards in animal health, food safety, quality assurance and agribusiness development.”

Developing the curriculum under review took a tortuous but necessary process.  Experts were assembled to examine all the key areas of the Livestock value chain before embarking on the design. The draft then went through sectorial reviews at different stages as well as peer reviews among sector experts. The draft curriculum was then produced for validation. The next step after the validation would be to approach the regulators to present what has been done and the quality of the output.  It is at this point that discussions on certifications can begin.