The Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) programme has been presented to the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) in Kwara State as part of efforts to protect livestock farmers from the economic challenges associated with dry-season feed and water shortages.
The presentation was made by Dr. Ese Abiyere, Regional Veterinary Doctor, Abuja and Northern Region Lead at Leadway Assurance Company Limited, who represented the IBLI initiative during the engagement with the Kwara State L-PRES team on Friday 21st August, 2026 at Noktel Hotel Ilorin Kwara State.
Dr. Abiyere explained that the IBLI programme was designed to support livestock farmers during periods when inadequate rainfall affects the availability of pasture and water needed to sustain livestock, particularly during the dry season.
According to him, four states namely: Adamawa, Bauchi, Plateau and Sokoto participated in the pilot phase of the programme and benefited from its implementation. He noted that the 2026 phase of the initiative is being implemented in Kano and Kwara states.
He explained that IBLI relies on satellite data to monitor grazing lands and determine the availability of pasture and water for livestock. Where the data indicates that available resources are insufficient to sustain animals, an agreed insurance payout is made per livestock to assist farmers in meeting critical needs such as feed, water and veterinary care.
Dr. Abiyere noted that the insurance based intervention would provide livestock farmers with financial support at a critical period, enabling them to better prepare for dry-season challenges and protect their investments in livestock.
He further stated that the programme could contribute to reducing farmer-herder conflicts by addressing one of the major factors responsible for cattle movement into crop farms in search for food and water.
According to him, by providing support to herders when pasture and water become insufficient, the initiative would reduce the pressure that often compels livestock owners to move their animals into farmers’ cultivated fields, thereby promoting peaceful coexistence between farming and herding communities.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Kwara State on Herdsmen Community, Hajiya Aishat Yusuf, commended the Federal Government for introducing the initiative.
She noted that many livestock farmers had already benefited from the programme in areas where it had been implemented, expressing the state’s readiness to embrace the initiative and ensure that livestock farmers in Kwara benefit from its potential.
Similarly, the Director of Livestock Services, Kwara State Ministry of Livestock Development, Mohammed Ahmed Umar, commended L-PRES for facilitating the presentation and bringing the programme to the attention of stakeholders in the state.
Mohammed said the initiative would help educate herders and livestock farmers on the importance of insuring their animals while encouraging them to make adequate preparations for the dry season by providing sufficient feed and water.
He added that adequate provision of feed and water for livestock during the dry season would reduce the movement of cattle into people’s farms in search of pasture and water.
He stressed that such intervention would not only protect livestock farmers from losses but would also help minimise farmer-herder conflicts and strengthen peaceful coexistence between farming communities and livestock owners across Kwara State.
The engagement is therefore expected to create greater awareness of livestock insurance among farmers and herders while promoting improved risk management, livestock productivity and resilience in the state.
