FG Equips North-West Assessors to Improve Livestock Standards

The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has commenced the second phase of its national capacity-building programme for Quality Assurance Assessors, aimed at strengthening livestock standards, improving food safety, and enhancing the competitiveness of Nigeria’s livestock value chains in domestic and international markets.

The second phase of the training is being held in Kaduna State and brings together participants from the North-West geopolitical zone, including Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Jigawa, and Zamfara States.

This follows the successful first phase conducted from 6th–8th May, 2026, which convened participants from the North-East zone in Yola Adamawa State, to build capacity in quality assurance systems, food safety compliance, traceability mechanisms, and regulatory standards within the livestock sector.

Opening the two-day workshop on Monday 29th June, 2026, the Director of Quality Assurance and Certification, Dr. Nurallah Abubakar, stressed that quality assurance remains critical in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, noting that the credibility of livestock products is anchored on the integrity and competence of assessors responsible for evaluating standards.

He explained that the programme is designed to equip participants with technical knowledge, practical competencies, and standardised tools required for objective, consistent, and evidence-based assessment across livestock value chains.

Dr. Abubakar further highlighted that quality assurance assessors play a dual role in ensuring regulatory compliance and driving continuous improvement among producers and processors, thereby strengthening consumer confidence, expanding market access, and improving productivity across the sector.

Reaffirming the Ministry’s expectations, he urged participants to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, impartiality, integrity, and confidentiality, describing these values as foundational to a credible national quality assurance system.

In his remarks, the Director of Veterinary and Livestock Services, Kaduna State, Dr. Pakachi Zakariya, welcomed the initiative, describing it as timely and essential for addressing persistent gaps in quality control, food safety, and regulatory compliance within livestock systems.

He highlighted the growing public health concerns associated with unhygienic processing and transportation of livestock and dairy products in parts of the country, stressing that strengthening quality assurance systems has become imperative for protecting consumers and improving market confidence.

Dr. Zakariya further observed that ongoing reforms in the livestock sector would only succeed with a strong regulatory and quality assurance framework capable of supporting productivity, food safety and market access.

In the same vein, a representative of the Kaduna State L-PRES Project, Dr. Sani Bello, underscored the importance of quality assurance in improving productivity, reducing post-production losses, and enhancing the competitiveness of Nigerian livestock products in regional and global markets.

The training programme features technical sessions on the Ministry’s Quality Assurance and Certification framework, livestock value chains, processing and marketing of animal products, risk-based inspection, hazard analysis, record keeping, reporting, and traceability systems.

The second day of the workshop included field visit to a poultry facility, laboratory testing protocols and interpretation, regulatory frameworks at national, regional, and international levels, group exercises, and post-training assessment.

During the field exercise, participants conducted practical quality assurance assessments, identified potential risk areas within the production system relevant to their responsibilities as Quality Assurance Assessors, and provided evidence-based recommendations to the farm's management on measures to strengthen compliance with quality and food safety standards.

Henrietta Okokon

Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations

30th June, 2026