Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Minister of Livestock Development, has said the Federal Government is placing women at the centre of Nigeria’s livestock transformation agenda.
He spoke at a high-level breakfast meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, stating that women remain the backbone of the country’s livestock economy.
The Minister said President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has elevated livestock as a national development priority and expanded opportunities for women to own businesses and lead in the sector.
He also praised Oluremi Tinubu, the first lady, for her consistent advocacy on women’s empowerment.
Read also: FG prioritises women in livestock transformation, says minister
Maiha told participants that women are not behind the scenes but on the front lines of economic activity. He said the Ministry would work with AWARFA-N and other partners to increase opportunities across high-value chains, including honey, goats, dairy and poultry.
Earlier, Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry, said women drive food production, family nutrition and market systems across the country.
She noted that the National Livestock Growth and Acceleration Strategy places women and youths as one of its ten core pillars.
She also announced the upcoming National Presidential Youth and Women Initiatives in Livestock. The programme will create thousands of jobs across the 774 Local Government Areas.
Presenting AWARFA-N’s five-year plan, Victoria Madedor said the organisation aims to become the leading platform for supporting women investors and entrepreneurs in animal resources and agribusiness.
Read also: Nigeria targets $74bn livestock economy by 2035 as FG, partners commit to sector transformation
She listed capacity building, finance, value-chain development, technology and advocacy as the pillars of its 2025 to 2029 strategy.
In a goodwill message, Sarah Ossiya of AU-IBAR called for stronger inclusion of women in livestock systems.
She said Africa loses up to ten percent of GDP to undernutrition and noted that improved animal nutrition boosts human nutrition. She urged reforms in financing and land access to unlock the full potential of women in the sector.
