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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Federal Government says it plans to create approximately 7,000 direct jobs through an estate-based ranching programme aimed at empowering youths and women while boosting livestock productivity and rural economic development.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this during a strategic engagement with the management of Access Bank Plc in Abuja on Thursday, June 4, 2026.
The Minister said the programme would provide structured opportunities for young people and women to participate in ranch operations across the dairy, red meat, and leather value chains.
Mukhtar also revealed plans to establish modern abattoirs across selected states and the Federal Capital Territory, each capable of processing at least 1,000 cattle daily, to improve meat quality, reduce waste, and strengthen the livestock supply chain.
He stressed the need for innovative financing mechanisms suited to livestock production, particularly dairy farming, which requires longer production cycles before yielding returns, and called for stronger collaboration among government, financial institutions, and private investors.
On feed and fodder, the Minister said the Ministry was working to expand pasture cultivation nationwide and position feed resources closer to production centres to cut transportation costs and improve efficiency.
Access Bank’s Public Relations Manager, Jonathan Oloniyo, expressed the bank’s readiness to collaborate with the Ministry in unlocking the potential of Nigeria’s livestock industry.
