Australia Explores Research Partnership to Support Nigeria’s Livestock Sector

The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has called for closer collaboration with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) to ensure livestock research supports Nigeria’s national priorities and delivers practical benefits to farmers.

Source: fmld

Speaking during a meeting with an ACIAR delegation in Abuja, Permanent Secretary Dr. Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi said development partners should engage the Ministry at the start of any intervention to improve coordination, prevent duplication and align projects with existing government policies.

She stressed that research should lead to real improvements for livestock producers, urging ACIAR to develop a communication plan that will help farmers understand and adopt new innovations. Dr. Akujobi also requested the project’s concept note, implementation timeline, key performance indicators and expected outcomes to ensure alignment with the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy and other policy frameworks.

ACIAR said the visit is part of a regional study to identify priority investment areas for livestock development in Nigeria and other West African countries. The team said preliminary consultations highlighted feed shortages, climate change, animal health, vaccine access, youth participation, gender inclusion and institutional coordination as key challenges. It added that the Australian Government is considering an investment of more than AU$70 million across selected West African countries, with Nigeria among the priority countries for engagement.