The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development (FMLD) has convened stakeholders from across Nigeria’s South-South geopolitical zone for a Zonal Workshop on the domestication of the National Strategic Plan for Private Veterinary Practice, aimed at strengthening collaboration, improving service delivery and addressing challenges confronting private veterinary practitioners in the country.
The one-day workshop, held on Monday 10th August 2026 at Landmark Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, brought together private veterinary practitioners, veterinary professionals, regulators, Directors of Veterinary Services, development partners and other key stakeholders in the livestock sector.
The workshop provided a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on strategies for improving veterinary service delivery, strengthening disease surveillance and enhancing Nigeria’s animal health system through greater collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Representing the Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Hon. Idi Mukhtar Maiha, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria and Programme Coordinator, Veterinary Services, Dr. Yakubu Yanet Ago, described the workshop as an important intervention by the Ministry to address the concerns and challenges confronting private veterinary practitioners and strengthen their contribution to the national animal health system.
Dr. Ago stated that, the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development is fully aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly the Administration’s commitment to transforming the livestock sector into a productive, modern and sustainable component of the Nigerian economy.
He urged participants and stakeholders to identify their respective roles and contribute meaningfully to the development of the sector, stressing that collective action was essential to achieving the desired transformation.
According to him, the Ministry remains committed to strengthening animal healthcare delivery through improved funding, enhanced veterinary services, capacity development and sustained collaboration with stakeholders, development partners, government institutions and international organisations.
He conveyed the goodwill of the Honourable Minister to the participants and expressed the Ministry’s expectation that the workshop would produce practical recommendations for improving private veterinary practice and animal health service delivery across the country.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Rivers State, Ms. Mercy Dangogo Iboroma, welcomed participants to the workshop and declared it open.
She expressed the State Government’s commitment to developing the livestock sector in Rivers State and the wider South-South region as a means of promoting food sufficiency, economic empowerment and sustainable socio-economic development.
Ms. Iboroma described the workshop as a landmark initiative towards strengthening private veterinary practice and improving animal health, noting that a vibrant veterinary sector was essential to the growth and development of Nigeria’s livestock industry.
Participants were subsequently taken through a series of technical sessions covering the socio-economic importance of livestock, livestock population estimates, animal diseases and their effects, drugs and vaccine production, the importance of disease reporting, opportunities and gaps in veterinary practice, capacity development for private veterinary practitioners, and other issues relating to animal health management.
Henrietta Okokon
Deputy Director
Press and Public Relations Department
11/8/26
