Caption: NIRSAL practication session for livestock practitioners
Poised to position Nigeria as a leading supplier of quality beef to domestic and global markets, NIRSAL Plc, a non-bank financial institution wholly-owned
by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with support from the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, on Tuesday unveiled a Feedlot Management Training Programme.
The programme, according to a statement by Jude Nnadozie, Head, Corporate Communications, is aimed at empowering players in the country’s livestock value chain to tap into the $2.5bn Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) deal recently sealed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with global meatpacking giant, JBS.
The training in Abuja recently, the first of other cohorts, according to NIRSAL, comes at a critical moment when Nigeria is stepping into the spotlight as a global meat investment destination of choice.
The JBS partnership will see six modern meat processing plants built across the country—with two dedicated to beef, ushering in increased demand for premium feedstock from local producers.
Speaking on the programme’s strategic intent at the opening session, Sa’ad Hamidu, Managing Director/Chief Executive of NIRSAL Plc, described it as “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. 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.” Amongst others, the programme targets the production of export-grade meat in Nigeria, while improving the productivity and profitability of the producers.
Though the $2.5 billion deal with JBS is the most notable in the series of investments bound for Nigeria’s livestock sub-sector, it is not the only one, the company said, especially with other local companies like ABIS Group which is also making significant investments in the meat value chain, creating further demand for high-quality feedstock.
Participants in the first cohort of the training programme were drawn from the Ministry of Livestock Development, the Agric Department of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), National Association of Cattle Dealers, Processors & Marketers of Nigeria (NACDPMAN), Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN), Maidoki Farms Ltd, and others.
The Director of Ranch and Pastoral Resources Development in the
Ministry of Livestock Development, Shekamang Ayuba, himself a participant, described the training as “eye-opening and apt”, urging its expansion nationwide.
The statement explained that Nigeria’s livestock sector, rich in potential but hampered by outdated practices, poor-quality feed, and limited financing, stands on the brink of genuine transformation.
NIRSAL said its intervention aims to unlock the full potential of the sub-sector by addressing structural gaps through a blend of Technical capacity-building; Risk-sharing incentives for lenders; End-to-end value chain support, and Strategic public-private collaborations.
