The Federal Government has unveiled revised agricultural curricula and national occupational standards to strengthen practical training, bridge skills gaps and develop a skilled workforce for Nigeria’s livestock sector.
The Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this on Monday, October 19th, 2026, during the unveiling of the revised curricula and occupational standards for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions and Colleges of Education.
Maiha described the initiative as a significant step towards aligning education with industry needs, noting that the livestock sector offers vast opportunities for investment, entrepreneurship, import substitution, export expansion and job creation.
“The livestock sector is vital to Nigeria’s food and nutrition security, employment, livelihoods, industrial development and economic growth. It also offers significant opportunities for investment, entrepreneurship, import substitution and export expansion,” he said.
The Minister explained that unlocking these opportunities would require skilled professionals with practical competencies in animal production, breeding, nutrition, animal health, biosecurity, pasture development, processing, marketing and other livestock value-chain activities.
He noted that although Nigeria’s livestock sector has an estimated market value of $3.2 billion, a shortage of hands-on experience among professionals managing modern livestock enterprises remains a major challenge.
“The value of that market is about 3.2 billion dollars. We have the livestock, we have the land resources, we have the skill level. But that issue of having practical experience for people who manage ranches end to end, from field to fork, we don’t have it. And therefore, this exercise today is a step in the right direction,” Maiha said.
He emphasised the need for training institutions to provide students with practical experience in modern livestock production systems, urging agricultural institutions to establish or provide access to functional farms and livestock facilities.
“Our goal must be to move beyond producing job seekers to developing skilled professionals, innovative entrepreneurs and job creators,” he said.
Maiha also called for inclusive access to skills development, particularly for women, young people, smallholder farmers and rural communities, to expand employment opportunities and promote entrepreneurship across the livestock value chain.
In his remarks, the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, commended the institutions, industry partners and stakeholders involved in the curriculum review, describing the reform as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to align education with national development priorities.
Alausa noted that agricultural education must respond to emerging technologies, modern production methods and industry demands, stressing that graduates should be equipped with the practical knowledge and competencies needed to create economic value.
He further emphasised the need to modernise agricultural training facilities, including farms, processing centres, greenhouses and other practical learning environments.
The Education Minister also called for stronger coordination among regulatory agencies to ensure that institutional adoption, assessment, monitoring and accreditation align with the revised curricula and national occupational standards.
Other stakeholders, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Embassy of France, welcomed the curriculum review.
They stressed that effective implementation would require qualified trainers, appropriate equipment, robust assessment systems and opportunities for workplace learning to ensure that graduates acquire industry-relevant skills.
The initiative is expected to strengthen the connection between agricultural education and industry requirements, improve practical livestock management skills and prepare graduates to contribute to the modernisation and sustainable growth of Nigeria’s livestock sector.
