( 3 Minutes Read)
The call came as ECOWAS opened discussions on strategies to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen the resilience of agro-pastoral systems in West Africa and the Sahel. The regional body held a two-day Policy Dialogue Workshop in Abuja to evaluate the results of the PRISMA Project and align them with agricultural priorities for the sub-region.
Nigeria has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Sahel countries to take deliberate steps in advancing livestock development programs to boost productivity across the region.
The call came as ECOWAS opened discussions on strategies to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen the resilience of agro-pastoral systems in West Africa and the Sahel.The regional body held a two-day Policy Dialogue Workshop in Abuja to evaluate the results of the PRISMA Project and align them with agricultural priorities for the sub-region.
Speaking at the opening session, Mr. Peter Alike, Director, Technical Office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, said the livestock sector remains underdeveloped in West Africa and the Sahel, requiring intentional action and regional cooperation to transform it.
He stressed that, “Deliberate action is needed because the government is aware that livestock production in this country—and indeed across West Africa and the Sahel—is still at a very rudimentary stage and far below the required level.”
On Nigeria’s deliberate plan to improve the contribution from the sector, Alike said that the sector’s current contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is in the region of US$32 billion.
Read Also:
He further disclosed that Nigeria’s strategic plan for the livestock sector, which runs from 2025 to 2030, aims to increase its GDP contribution from the current USD 32 billion to between USD 74 billion and US$94 billion.
