The Federal Government and Nestlé Nigeria Plc signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday to improve animal genetics and boost farmer productivity.
Minister of Livestock Development Idi Maiha said the agreement will establish a dairy skills development centre that will deliver practical training on ranch management and dairy production for farmers regardless of breed. He described the MoU as a major shift for the livestock sector and said it targets the shortage of technical skills needed to run modern ranches and dairy farms.
Maiha noted that Nigeria currently lacks specialised institutions for hands‑on learning in large‑scale dairy farm management, breeding, fodder production and animal health. "The centre will help train Nigerians to manage livestock as a modern enterprise and increase investors' confidence in the sector. You can train people to be bankers, lawyers and doctors; you can also train people to become farm managers," he said. The first cohort is expected to graduate within a year.
The project aligns with President Bola Tinubu's livestock transformation agenda aimed at raising productivity and easing conflicts linked to livestock production.
Nestlé Nigeria Managing Director Wassim Elhusseini said the partnership moves the earlier 2025 letter of intent into action. He said Nestlé has invested more than N1.8 billion in dairy development since 2019, resulting in the collection of over
