FG, UNIDO Move to Track Livestock, Boost Nigeria’s Meat Exports

"The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and UNIDO are also exploring technical collaboration in laboratory capacity, certification, disease control and training of veterinary inspectors as part of efforts to make Nigeria’s livestock sector more competitive in the international market." Dr Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, Permanent Secretary of the Livestock Development Ministry.

The Federal Government has commenced discussions with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) on the deployment of livestock identification and traceability systems to strengthen food safety and boost Nigeria’s capacity to export meat, honey and other livestock products.

The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and UNIDO are also exploring technical collaboration in laboratory capacity, certification, disease control and training of veterinary inspectors as part of efforts to make Nigeria’s livestock sector more competitive in the international market.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, disclosed this during an engagement with UNIDO officials, stressing that effective animal identification and traceability would be critical to the growth of the sector.

Akujobi said Nigeria would struggle to access international meat markets without a system capable of tracing livestock and livestock products throughout the value chain.

“No trading partner will take any piece of meat from you if you don't have a system capable of tracing livestock and livestock products through the value chain,” she said.

She, however, stressed that food safety and quality standards should not be pursued solely to facilitate exports, but must also protect Nigerian consumers.

“Whatever we are doing should cut across products for both international and domestic markets,” the Permanent Secretary said.

According to her, the Ministry is working towards establishing a clear policy framework for animal identification and traceability and would welcome UNIDO’s technical support in infrastructure, software development and capacity building.

Akujobi also sought UNIDO’s expertise on practical identification technologies, including tags and microchips, with consideration for affordability, available equipment and long-term sustainability for farmers.

The Ministry identified the establishment of disease-free zones or compartments, training of Federal and state veterinary inspectors, improved biosecurity and upgraded laboratory capacity as critical areas requiring attention as Nigeria seeks to expand its livestock exports.

On its part, the UNIDO Regional Programme Manager, Adalberto Carvalho Santos Vieira, said the organisation was ready to support Nigeria in deploying digital technologies for livestock identification and traceability.

Vieira said the system could link animal identification to databases, thereby strengthening animal health management, improving consumer confidence and facilitating access to international markets.

“UNIDO has successfully worked on livestock identification and traceability systems in other nations. We believe we can support the deployment of digital tracking technology to guarantee animal health, build consumer trust and open doors to related exports,” he said.

UNIDO also expressed readiness to support food safety testing, laboratory strengthening, inspector training and certification processes, while assessing existing national and regional capacities and identifying priority gaps.

The proposed partnership is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s ability to export honey, red meat and other livestock-related products by ensuring that they are properly traced, tested and certified in line with applicable international requirements.