Nigeria Launches ABIS Academy, Deepens Belgium Livestock Ties

The Federal Government’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s livestock sector into a modern, resilient, and globally competitive industry, has been reaffirmed by the Honourable Minister of Livestock Development Ministry, Idi Mukhtar Maiha.

Maiha stressed the critical role of knowledge, innovation, and international collaboration while speaking at the National Livestock Transformation Dialogue and the official launch of the ABIS Livestock Academy in Abuja on Tuesday 23rd September 2025.

The Minister said the sector can no longer be constrained by outdated practices and weak knowledge transfer. He noted that sustainable productivity requires a seamless connection between grazing reserves, abattoirs, markets, and consumers.

“The grazing reserve and the abattoir are two ends of the same vision,” the Minister declared. “At one end, we raise animals sustainably; at the other, we process them to world-class standards. Between these two lies a value chain that creates jobs, empowers youth and women, drives growth, and secures Nigeria’s place in the global livestock market.”

He commended ABIS for investing in abattoir modernisation, cold storage, and structured meat distribution, while also unveiling the ABIS Livestock Academy, a platform for technical training and capacity building across the value chain.

The Chairman of ABIS, Emmanuel Nelson Usman, noted that the company’s expanding facilities will create over 36,000 jobs nationwide, boost food security, promote sustainability through biogas innovation, and enhance Nigeria’s export competitiveness.

Similarly, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Sa’ad Hamidu, revealed that in 2025 alone, NIRSAL trained over 490 livestock actors nationwide and has facilitated more than N270 billion in loans and investments to players in the livestock value chain.

In a related development, the Minister also received the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt, on a courtesy visit. The Ambassador announced an upcoming Belgian trade mission to Nigeria in November, focused on agriculture, food systems, cold-chain management, and artificial intelligence solutions for livestock identification and traceability.

Responding, the Minister highlighted Nigeria’s vast livestock market valued at over $33 trillion with more than 200 million ruminants, and underscored opportunities for collaboration in genetics, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, feed and fodder, and advanced technologies.

He expressed particular interest in Belgian expertise, including the Belgian Blue cattle breed, vaccines, and AI-driven cattle tagging for productivity, collateralisation, and data-driven livestock management.

This is contained in a statement issued and signed by Ben. Bem Goong, Director, Press and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development in Abuja.