To reposition Nigeria as a leading source of premium beef for both domestic consumption and global export, the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc), with the backing of the newly created Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, has inaugurated a Feedlot Management Training Programme aimed at unlocking the potential of a $2.5 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) deal.
The investment, recently secured by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with global meatpacking giant JBS, opens a new chapter for Nigeria’s livestock value chain. Under the terms of the JBS partnership, six ultra-modern meat processing plants are slated for development across the country, two of which will be dedicated solely to beef. This will significantly ramp up demand for high-quality feedstock from local producers, necessitating a modern, market-oriented approach to livestock production.
To prepare stakeholders across the value chain, the inaugural cohort of NIRSAL’s Feedlot Management Training was convened in Abuja, drawing participants from across the livestock ecosystem, including public agencies, farmers, marketers, and private agribusinesses. The program is designed not merely as a training but as a catalytic intervention.
“This is not just another training; it is a targeted intervention aimed at creating bankable agribusinesses by improving feed formulation practices, reducing input waste, and optimizing livestock finishing cycles for increased market value,” said Mr. Sa’ad Hamidu, Managing Director and CEO of NIRSAL Plc, during the program’s opening session. “As it is, we are preparing Nigerian livestock producers to feed not just the nation, but the world. And this aligns directly with the Federal Government’s vision for an agriculturally empowered, export-ready nation.”
The initiative is part of NIRSAL’s broader strategy to address longstanding bottlenecks within Nigeria’s livestock sector, which has long struggled with challenges ranging from low productivity and poor feed quality to outdated practices and limited access to financing. By building technical capacity among producers and introducing modern feedlot techniques, NIRSAL aims to create a new class of commercially viable and export-compliant meat producers.
In addition to the JBS deal, domestic investors are also stepping up. Companies like ABIS Group have made substantial investments in the meat value chain, adding further momentum to the sector’s revitalization and driving even greater demand for premium feedlot-finished livestock.
Participants in the maiden training cohort were drawn from a broad spectrum of institutions and associations, including the Ministry of Livestock Development, the Agriculture Department of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), the National Association of Cattle Dealers, Processors & Marketers of Nigeria (NACDPMAN), the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN), Maidoki Farms Ltd, and several others.
Among them was Shekamang Ayuba, Director of Ranch and Pastoral Resources Development at the Ministry of Livestock Development, who lauded the program’s relevance and impact. “This training is both eye-opening and apt,” he said, urging NIRSAL to expand the initiative to reach livestock actors across all geopolitical zones of the country.
To ensure sustainability and sector-wide transformation, the Feedlot Management Training Program is embedded within NIRSAL’s integrated framework, which includes:Technical capacity-building for livestock actors; Risk-sharing incentives to encourage lender participation; End-to-end value chain support for agribusinesses; Strategic public-private partnerships to deepen market integration
With these elements in place, NIRSAL said it is positioning the livestock sector not just as a source of food and income, but as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s drive toward agricultural industrialisation and export diversification.