Stakeholders push for stronger oversight as Nigeria’s livestock industry expands

NIGERIA – Nigeria’s fast-growing livestock industry is facing mounting calls for stricter regulation, as stakeholders warn that unchecked industrial expansion could harm public health, the environment, and smallholder farmers. 

The appeal comes amid new government partnerships and major international deals aimed at boosting the country’s meat production and exports.

Co-founder of Sanuvia, Ainde Daniel, recently said that the initiative to strengthen regulation was born out of “the urgent need to ensure proper oversight in the livestock industry.” 

He pointed to the creation of the new Ministry of Livestock Development and the planned entry of global meat giant JBS into Nigeria as signs of rapid expansion.

While Daniel acknowledged the potential for job creation and improved livelihoods, he warned that the growth of industrial livestock systems brings serious risks. 

“We are concerned about the risk that is posed as a result of this expansion,” he said, citing threats such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental degradation.

He also questioned how smallholder farmers would fare amid increasing competition. “Will they be well in business or will there be competition?” he asked.

Sanuvia, he explained, aims to promote collaboration among government agencies, processors, and farmers to ensure the industry grows sustainably. 

“Our major focus is to foster collaboration within every stakeholder,” he said, emphasising the need for “regulations that safeguard public health, the environment, and animal welfare.”

Representatives from the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development echoed the call for better standards. 

Ilya Yohana, from the Department of Quality Assurance and Certification, said the ministry has made animal welfare a top priority and has inaugurated a National Committee on Animal Welfare in Transit to address the poor conditions animals often face during transportation.

“The greatest thing that we will do now is strengthen sensitisation so that everybody will know that animal welfare is important,” Yohana said. 

Sanuvia’s co-founder, Fashipe Isaac Babatunde, added that neglecting animal welfare could undermine both public health and farmers’ livelihoods. 

“While we are creating jobs and increasing GDP, we must also prioritise the welfare of animals produced within the livestock sector,” he said.

US$100 million livestock deal boosts exports

The renewed focus on sustainable livestock practices comes just months after Niger State announced a US$100 million (about ₦161 billion) offtake agreement with the Saudi Export and Import Bank to supply meat and related products to the Middle East. 

Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago revealed the deal during the FirstBank Agric and Export Expo 2025 in Lagos, describing it as a major milestone for Nigeria’s non-oil export diversification.

“The Saudi government has given us an offtake agreement for US$100 million,” Bago said, noting that the arrangement would begin with an initial US$10 million (₦16.1 billion) tranche facilitated by the Nigerian Export and Import Bank (NEXIM).

Bago estimated the total market opportunity from Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Middle Eastern countries at US$2.5 billion (₦4.03 trillion) annually. 

He emphasised that value addition and processing would ensure better returns, adding, “If you produce and just export, you’re at the mercy of global prices. But when you process, you set the price.”

The governor also announced plans to allocate 100,000 hectares of farmland to support Lagos State’s food supply and to establish LNG-powered cold-chain logistics to transport frozen, branded meat products instead of live animals.

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu welcomed the collaboration, calling it a critical step toward national food security and logistics modernisation. 

With livestock contributing about 6–8% to Nigeria’s national GDP and 17% of agricultural GDP, the sector’s growth potential is undeniable. 

But as the push for exports and industrial processing gathers momentum, stakeholders like Sanuvia are urging the government to ensure the expansion does not come at the expense of health, equity, or sustainability.

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