The Federal Government has proposed the establishment of Livestock Development Centres (LDCs) across Nigeria as part of efforts to modernise the livestock industry, attract private investment, create jobs and strengthen the country’s food and nutrition security.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Hon. Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed the initiative during a ministerial briefing with stakeholders in Abuja on August 14th, 2026. He explained that the proposed centres would be developed through collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments and private-sector investors.
According to the Minister, the centres are not intended to be conventional government farms or isolated construction projects. Rather, they are expected to operate as commercially oriented livestock production platforms, linking producers and investors to viable opportunities across different livestock value chains.
The proposed LDCs are expected to integrate several facilities and services in one location, including livestock production, veterinary services, managed pasture, water supply, feed production, processing, storage, markets and cold-chain infrastructure. Depending on the location and its comparative advantage, centres may support cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, horses, donkeys, camels, rabbits and apiculture.
Maiha said individual states would determine the livestock species or value chains to be developed based on factors such as agro-ecology, availability of feed and water, producer capacity, market demand, social acceptance and investment potential. This, he noted, would ensure that the programme responds to the unique economic and environmental conditions of different parts of the country.
The initiative is also expected to create significant opportunities for investors in areas such as dairy production, meat processing, feed manufacturing, breeding, abattoirs, cold-chain logistics, leather and tannery operations, biogas and organic fertiliser production.
For livestock producers, the centres could provide access to improved animal health services, quality feed and water, pasture, modern production facilities, processing infrastructure and wider market opportunities. Women and young people are also expected to benefit through employment and enterprise opportunities across production, processing, aggregation, marketing, technology and livestock-related services.
The proposed centres are part of the Federal Government’s implementation of the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS), a 10-pillar roadmap aimed at addressing longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s livestock sector and attracting large-scale private-sector investment.
The Federal Government has set an ambitious target of increasing the economic contribution of Nigeria’s livestock sector from about $32 billion to at least $74 billion by 2035. The proposed LDC model is expected to play a major role in achieving this target by improving productivity, strengthening value chains and encouraging investment.
Beyond economic benefits, the centres are expected to support more organised livestock production, reduce pressure associated with open grazing and improve access to veterinary and other essential services. The concept also provides for animal identification and traceability through measures such as ear-tagging or microchipping, helping to improve livestock ownership records and movement tracking.
The proposed Livestock Development Centres therefore represent a shift towards a more integrated and commercially driven approach to livestock development in Nigeria. If effectively implemented through strong Federal-State-Private Sector collaboration, the initiative could strengthen the livestock value chain, create employment, improve food security and position Nigeria’s livestock industry for greater domestic and international competitiveness.
