The Federal Government of Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the NESTLE Nigeria PLC, for the establishment of the Nestle Dairy Technical Skills Development Centre in the FCT, aimed at improving dairy production in Nigeria.
The Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this today in Abuja on Wednesday 8th April, 2026.
The Minister explained that the partnership is not just a ceremonial agreement, but rather a bold and decisive intervention designed to address one of the most critical bottlenecks hindering the growth of the dairy industry in Nigeria with the huge glaring gap in technical capacity and practical farm management skills.
Maiha further explained that, Nigeria’s dairy sector has been caught in a paradox of immense potential and stark underperformance, despite the huge population of livestock production in the country.
“The reality is that our traditional pastoral systems, currently yields an average of merely one to two litres of milk per cow daily.
This low productivity he said is directly linked to a systematic deficit in modern husbandry practices, inadequate feed formulation and lack of clean portable water, as well as impact of climate change and a lack of proficiency in essential areas such as artificial insemination, herd health management and milk hygiene leading to huge post – harvest losses”, he added.
Maiha stated that, the combined impact of all these negatives is the huge import bill of 1.5 billion US Dollars of dairy and dairy products per annum by the country”.
According to the Honourable Minister, the Nestle Dairy Technical Skills Development Centre is envisioned as a practical knowledge hub that will successfully transition Nigeria dairy farming from traditional methods to modern, globally competitive husbandry sector.
“We are actively aware that theoretical knowledge, while important, cannot substitute for hands-on experience in farm management,” he added.
Therefore I have directed that the curriculum for this centre, must be rigorously benchmarked against the best standards in the global dairy industry ” the Minister pointed out.
Maiha explained that the curriculum is structured to deliver 70 percent practical farm experience and 30 percent theoretical classroom teaching, adding that the 70 – 30 split would ensure that the trainees do not just learn about dairy farming in the abstract, but will get their hands and boots dirty, mastering the dairy operations of a modern dairy enterprise.
The Minister further said that they will learn by doing more skills from breeding, assisted birth, calf management, farm operations, record keeping, proper milking techniques and hygiene compliance to managing feed resources and ensuring optimal animal welfare for maximum production and milk processing .
The Honourable Minister commended NESTLE Nigeria PLC, for their unwavering commitment to the development of the local dairy value chain.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, emphasized that the success of the partnership will be measured in farms that thrive, in children who are well-nourished, and in households that earn more because their work in livestock is supported and profitable.
Akujobi stated that the agreement is designed to turn resources, knowledge, and investment into concrete improvements for mostly farmers and producers nationwide.
In his speech, the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, NESTLE Nigeria Plc, Wassim Elhusseini, said that the Memorandum of Understanding formalises the establishment of a Dairy Technical Skills Development Centre, which is a practical step towards strengthening the capabilities required to improve productivity, and quality of the dairy products for long-term sustainability in the sector.
He further said that the initiative aligns closely with the objectives of the National Dairy Policy under the National Development Plan, which seeks to catalyse growth in Nigeria’s livestock and dairy sectors.
“According to him, through the project, Nestlé Nigeria has invested over 1.8 billion Naira to support dairy communities in and around Pai-Konkore and the Luger grazing reserves.
This investment he said, has delivered measurable impact, with participating milk producers increasing their monthly incomes from 70,000 Naira to 250,000 between year 2021 and 2024″.
The MD/ CEO mentioned that Nestle have also established over 83 dairy cooperatives, aggregating more than 1 million litres of raw milk in Nigeria.
He added, “We have trained over 2,000 pastoralists, vaccinated over 36,000 cattle and invested in critical infrastructure, including boreholes, water troughs, milk collection and cooling systems to support productivity and quality.
In 2025, we launched the Nestlé Daily Demonstration Farm, a practical model to show how improved breeding, feeding and herd management can increase productivity from an average of 1 litre per cow per day to 10 litres and has also demonstrated the importance of milk hygiene, animal health and more settled farming systems in achieving consistent quality and sustainable production.
The representative of Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), identified capacity building as one of the challenge that affects the livestock sector in Nigeria, noting that the signing of the MOU will address them accordingly.
The event featured goodwill messages from the former speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Bank of Agriculture, and other stakeholders in the dairy sector.
Henrietta Okokon
Deputy Director Press and Public Relations
Federal Ministry of Livestock Development
7/4/26
