Mukhtar endorses agrifood strategy, urges livestock priority

The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has called for the livestock sector to occupy a central place in the implementation of Nigeria's Draft Agrifood System Strategy and Action Plan (2026–2035), describing it as a strategic driver of economic growth, food and nutrition security, employment generation and rural prosperity.

The Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, made the call on Thursday 23rd July, 2026, at the High-Level Briefing on the Draft Nigeria Strategy and Action Plan for the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration (2026–2035), held in Abuja.

The Strategy, developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, is Nigeria's proposed 10-year roadmap for transforming the country's agrifood system in line with the African Union's Kampala Declaration and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda.

Commending the initiative, Mukhtar stressed that livestock development should no longer be viewed merely as a supporting component of agriculture but as a standalone strategic sector capable of accelerating inclusive economic growth, reducing poverty and strengthening the resilience of Nigeria's agrifood systems.

He advocated increased investments in animal health systems, greater investment in livestock genetic improvement through Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer programmes, and sustainable rangeland management to boost productivity and resilience.

He further underscored the need to strengthen livestock value chains through investments in meat and dairy processing, poultry development, livestock markets, cold-chain infrastructure, transportation and value addition, noting that such interventions would stimulate private investment, create jobs and improve producers' incomes.

While unveiling the strategy, the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed the Ministry to develop a long-term, bankable and implementable roadmap that would reposition Nigeria's agrifood system and align it with the African Union's Kampala Declaration.

According to Kyari, the Strategy was developed through extensive consultations and validation meetings across the six geopolitical zones and at the national level to ensure broad stakeholder participation and ownership. 

He added that following stakeholders' adoption, the document would be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval, after which Ministries, Departments and Agencies would align their programmes and budgets with its priorities.

According to Kyari, the Strategy seeks to increase agricultural productivity, expand intra-African agricultural trade, reduce post-harvest losses, improve access to healthy diets, reduce poverty and attract greater investment into Nigeria's agrifood sector, adding that effective governance would be critical to achieving these objectives.

Also speaking, ActionAid Nigeria's Food Systems Specialist, Azubike Nwokoye, called for increased public investment in agriculture, revealing that the combined 2026 agricultural budget allocation by the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory stands at 4.58 per cent, below the 10 per cent commitment under the African Union's Maputo, Malabo and Kampala Declarations.

Presenting findings from ActionAid's agricultural expenditure dashboard, Nwokoye noted that if states fully implement their 2026 agricultural budgets, about 1.4 million direct jobs could be created, while projected Federal Government spending could generate an additional 2.1 million jobs, bringing the national total to approximately 3.5 million direct jobs. 

The meeting brought together representatives of the Federal Ministries of Budget and Economic Planning, Water Resources, Women Affairs, Health and Environment, development partners, research institutions, civil society organisations and other key stakeholders to review the draft Strategy ahead of its submission to the Federal Executive Council for approval.

Henrietta Okokon
Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations 
23rd July, 2026