In preparation for the rising demands for dairy and other animal-sourced foods in Nigeria and West Africa as a whole, the federal government said it has set machinery in motion to reverse decades of underperformance in the sector with the right policies, investments, and partnerships.
Co-Chair of the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee, PLRIC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who gave the assurance on Thursday in Abuja, declared that the challenges of sufficient domestic production like weak feed and pasture systems, low breed productivity, farmer–herder conflicts, climate pressures, inadequate financing, and limited adoption of modern technologies, are surmountable.
Speaking at the 2025 Friesland Campina WAMCO CNDDD Annual Dairy Development Webinar, Jega, who was represented by the Director, Dairy Research and Development Centre, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU, Bauchi and Member, PLRIC, Prof. Demo Kalla, said the present administration was committed to transform Nigeria’s dairy sector through coordinated reforms and strategic partnerships, adding that the recently validated National Dairy Policy Implementation Framework was a major step forward to providing a long-term roadmap for boosting the dairy ecosystem.
He, however, called for decisive action to build a productive and sustainable dairy value chain that would match the country’s population growth and going by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO’s data that dairy consumption in West Africa could rise by more than 500% by 2050.
“With the right policies, investments, and partnerships, Nigeria can reverse decades of underperformance,” he said, insisting that the challenges of insufficient production are not insurmountable.
Jega outlined four strategic pillars for achieving dairy self-sufficiency as productivity through better pastures, genetics, and veterinary services; sustainability via climate-smart practices and renewable energy; innovation through digital tools for traceability, disease surveillance, and market integration; and partnerships to foster collaboration among government, industry, academia, and development partners.
According to him, the two landmark initiatives by President Bola Tinubu’s administration: the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development to drive systemic reforms, and the creation of PLRIC to ensure strategic coordination across ministries, states, and stakeholders would help the country to achieve the feat.
“Private-sector investment is already growing, with companies such as FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Arla Foods, Danone, L&Z, and Sebore Farms expanding milk collection, farmer training, and backward integration. Development partners, including DDP, ALDDN, GIZ, and the EU-VACE TARED programme, were recognized for supporting capacity building, climate-smart research, and value-chain improvements,” he noted.
He, therefore, stressed the need for coordinated national action over isolated interventions, calling for modern production clusters, cold-chain expansion, cooperative models, stronger regulatory systems, and the proposed Dairy Academy for human capital development.
Jega added that the National Dairy Policy provides a clear framework to drive public–private investment toward milk self-sufficiency, higher productivity, and a globally competitive Nigerian dairy sector.
“Our vision is to build a dairy industry that delivers affordable nutrition, transforms small holders into prosperous producers, and ensures no child suffers stunting because milk is too costly or unavailable.
“With our population, market, natural resources, and expertise, Nigeria can become a leading dairy producer in Africa and a pillar of national development and economic transformation,” he concluded.
In his personal remarks, Kalla said the National Dairy Policy provides a clear framework to drive public–private investment toward milk self-sufficiency, higher productivity, and a globally competitive Nigerian dairy sector.
He explained that having been developed through extensive stakeholder engagement with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and industry partners, the policy charts a roadmap to transform the sector from low-productivity operations to modern, technology-enabled, commercially viable enterprises.
Kalla added that with stakeholders validation of its implementation framework, the government is poised to create an enabling environment that fosters innovation-driven value chains and empowers small holders and private investors.
He listed key opportunities to include expanding domestic milk production, strengthening cold chain and logistics, mobilizing technology, driving backward integration by processors, creating jobs, improving nutrition, and reducing imports.
The policy, he said also addresses major challenges such as poor husbandry, low feed quality, high disease burdens, weak animal health systems, climate change pressures, inadequate grazing and water resources, poor infrastructure, and limited access to finance with weak value-chain coordination.