The Nigerian government has unveiled plans to recruit 37,000 youths into livestock farming as part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Presidential Initiative on Youths and Livestock Development. The program aims to boost livestock production while creating employment opportunities for young Nigerians interested in agriculture.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, disclosed this while hosting a delegation from Brazil’s JBS S.A. Executive Group. He emphasized that the initiative would provide selected participants with training, capacity-building programs, and access to financing and essential resources to improve livestock farming.
According to the ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Ben Bem Goong, the initiative will recruit 1,000 youths from each of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Women will be actively included in the program, which will focus on pasture cultivation and livestock breeding. State governments are expected to provide land, while the federal government will support the process by supplying seedlings to enhance feed production.
As part of the initiative, the government has developed a livestock breeding strategy that integrates modern techniques such as artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and the introduction of high-quality live bulls. The approach aims to improve cattle breeds while promoting controlled ranching to address challenges related to open grazing.
In addition to breeding improvements, the program includes disease prevention and control measures to combat swine fever, anthrax, and other livestock-related diseases that have affected productivity in the sector.
The initiative has also attracted international interest, with Brazilian agribusiness giant JBS S.A. pledging to support the program. The company plans to develop 200,000 ranches dedicated to beef production, with potential expansion across different states. JBS S.A. CEO Ricardo Lacerda assured that the firm would engage in further technical discussions with Nigerian authorities to fine-tune the collaboration, provided that sufficient land is allocated for the project.
The initiative is expected to not only enhance food security but also contribute to economic growth by integrating more youths into the agricultural value chain. The federal government is optimistic that the program will serve as a sustainable model for livestock farming in Nigeria, reducing reliance on imports and addressing long-standing issues in the sector.
