Daniel Adaji
The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and Leventis Foundation Nigeria have begun discussions on potential collaboration to strengthen youth capacity in agriculture and improve livestock productivity across Nigeria.
The partnership prospects were explored when the leadership of the Leventis Foundation paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Maiha welcomed the delegation and commended the Foundation for its long-standing contributions to agricultural training and human capacity development in Nigeria. He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding the livestock sector and empowering young people through sustainable agricultural development across the entire livestock value chain.
According to the minister, the sector presents significant opportunities in areas such as feed and fodder production, micro-livestock, poultry, dairy, cattle, sheep and goat farming, as well as apiculture, marketing, storage and transportation.
“The livestock sector offers vast opportunities, from feed and fodder production to animal husbandry, processing, marketing and value addition. As a ministry, we are committed to creating an enabling environment for partnerships that will help unlock these opportunities,” Maiha said.
He emphasised the importance of comprehensive training programmes for young farmers, noting that capacity building must cover production, veterinary care, marketing and management to ensure sustainability and reduce losses.
Maiha also highlighted the need for targeted youth engagement in vulnerable regions, particularly in the North-East, where agriculture could serve as a pathway to economic empowerment and social stability for young people emerging from internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
Speaking during the meeting, the Executive Director of Leventis Foundation Nigeria, Hope Usieta, outlined the foundation’s 36-year record of youth training and agribusiness empowerment through six agricultural training centres across the country.
He explained that each centre admits about 150 trainees annually for 10 to 11 months of intensive hands-on training in livestock production, crop cultivation, agroforestry, enterprise development and value addition.
Usieta noted that the programme has produced thousands of graduates who have gone on to establish successful agribusiness ventures, supported by microcredit facilities and a national alumni network.
He added that the foundation operates a cost-sharing model with partner state governments to support the establishment and running of the training schools.
According to him, the visit was aimed at introducing the foundation’s activities to the ministry and exploring areas of collaboration to advance key priorities in ruminant production, fodder development and livestock value chain growth.
The meeting also discussed opportunities to expand cooperation in mainstreaming fodder production, improving ruminant productivity and strengthening youth participation across the livestock sector nationwide.
