The Ministry of Livestock Development has announced plans to empower 1,000 youths in each state of Nigeria across various segments of the livestock sector. This commitment was shared by the Minister, Alhaji Idi Maiha, at the closing ceremony of the four-day Hack4Livestock Hackathon held in Abuja. The event was organised by the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in partnership with the Ministries of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and Livestock Development.
Maiha, represented by his Special Assistant Eustace Iyayi, explained that the initiative aims to harness digital platforms to stimulate growth in the livestock sector, with particular attention on involving women and promoting diversity. The ministry has developed the Nigerian Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy to drive this growth.
“Currently, we plan to capacitate 1,000 youths per state in different values in the livestock sector,” Maiha said. He highlighted the importance of digital skills in advancing the sector and emphasized the ministry’s goal to increase women’s participation.
Professor Idris Bugaje, Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (MBTE), praised the participants for their innovative and problem-solving approaches during the competition. He noted that artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming key sectors such as education, agriculture, and healthcare.
The winning team, Agro Alliance, presented a technological solution to mitigate farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria. Their AI-powered, IoT-based system detects cattle intrusions on farms and sends real-time alerts to farmers through SMS, notifications, and calls. The system also emits an alarm to deter cattle before they enter farm premises, enhancing farm security and reducing conflict-related losses.
Gbenga Sesan, representing Agro Alliance, said their solution has the potential to reduce economic losses, prevent displacement, and save lives. The team plans to expand their market reach and collaborate with security agencies to further address farmer-herder conflicts.
The top three Hack4Livestock winners received a total of N10 million in prizes. Agro Alliance secured first place with N5 million, JVincent came second with N3 million, and Livestocx took third place with N2 million.
Stakeholders from the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) attended the event, underscoring the collaborative effort to advance livestock development through innovation and digital technology.
