The Federal Government on Sunday, February 15, partnered with the Development Bank of Nigeria and the World Bank to boost livestock production by improving access to finance and capacity development for small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
The collaboration reflects a strategic effort to transform Nigeria’s livestock value chain into a more productive, competitive, and investment-ready sector. By expanding financing channels and enterprise skills, government and its partners aim to unlock growth across animal husbandry, feed production, processing, and distribution.
Expanding Finance for Livestock Enterprises
Limited access to affordable capital has long constrained livestock businesses in Nigeria. Many SMEs struggle to scale operations, modernise facilities, or adopt improved breeding and feeding practices. Therefore, the partnership prioritises tailored financial products that address sector-specific risks and production cycles.
Through the Development Bank of Nigeria’s wholesale financing model, participating financial institutions can extend loans to livestock entrepreneurs under more favourable terms. This structure reduces lending risk while increasing credit flow to underserved agricultural enterprises.
The World Bank’s involvement strengthens the programme’s technical design and funding sustainability. Its global experience in agricultural finance supports risk-sharing mechanisms and performance monitoring frameworks.
Capacity Building and Productivity Gains
Beyond finance, the initiative emphasises enterprise capacity building. Many livestock SMEs operate with limited technical knowledge, weak record-keeping, and inadequate market integration. Consequently, productivity and profitability remain below potential.
Training components therefore focus on modern husbandry practices, animal health management, feed optimisation, and business planning. Participants also receive guidance on compliance standards and value-chain integration.
Improved skills enable producers to increase yields, reduce losses, and meet quality requirements for domestic and export markets. Capacity development thus complements financial access in driving sustainable growth.
Strengthening the Livestock Value Chain
Nigeria’s livestock sector spans multiple subsectors, including cattle, poultry, dairy, and small ruminants. However, fragmentation and low investment have limited value addition and processing capacity.
The partnership aims to strengthen linkages among producers, processors, and distributors. Better coordination improves supply consistency and market efficiency. Financing support also encourages investment in storage, cold chains, and processing infrastructure.
Such improvements increase sector resilience and reduce post-production losses. They also enhance food security and rural income generation.
SMEs as Drivers of Agricultural Transformation
SMEs dominate Nigeria’s livestock landscape. They provide employment, supply local markets, and sustain rural livelihoods. Yet many remain informal and undercapitalised.
Targeting SMEs therefore aligns with broader economic diversification goals. Empowered livestock enterprises can expand output, create jobs, and stimulate related industries such as feed milling and veterinary services.
By combining finance with skills development, the programme addresses both structural and operational constraints facing SMEs.
Toward Sustainable Livestock Development
The Federal Government emphasised that livestock transformation remains central to agricultural modernisation and food security. Partnerships with development finance institutions and multilateral agencies accelerate reform and investment mobilisation.
Officials noted that improved livestock productivity supports nutrition, income stability, and export potential. Therefore, sustained collaboration with DBN and the World Bank will continue to expand financing access and technical support.
The February 15 partnership marks a significant step toward building a more inclusive, efficient, and commercially viable livestock sector in Nigeria.
