Abuja, Nigeria – February 26-28, 2025
The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) project hosted a key meeting in Abuja, bringing together commissioners and key stakeholders from participating states. The discussions focused on ensuring compliance with World Bank policies, streamlining project implementation, and achieving long-term development goals.
Key Highlights from the Meeting
Sanusi Abubakar, National Project Coordinator
National Project Coordinator Sanusi Abubakar reaffirmed L-PRES’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s livestock sector. He emphasized the importance of adhering to World Bank policies to promote transparency and sustainability. Acknowledging the arrival of new commissioners, he stressed the need for capacity-building initiatives to align them with project objectives. He also assured full government support and pledged to eliminate barriers hindering investment in the sector.
Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha
Minister of Livestock Development Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha outlined strategic plans to elevate the livestock sector’s contribution to the national economy, targeting a 10% share of GDP. Key initiatives include digitizing cattle routes to enhance livestock mobility and reduce conflicts between farmers and herders. He also announced the establishment of a gene bank to preserve indigenous livestock breeds, ensuring long-term genetic diversity and resilience. The Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to modernizing the sector through technology and infrastructure development.
Project Updates and Next Steps
The Task Team Leader provided an in-depth overview of the project’s design and implementation strategies, stressing the importance of collaboration among all stakeholders. He emphasized that active participation from state commissioners is crucial to ensuring the project’s success and delivering tangible benefits to communities.
A major focus of the meeting was capacity building for commissioners, permanent secretaries, directors and state project coordinators overseeing the L-PRES Project in their various states. Through interactive sessions, participants engaged in knowledge-sharing activities to deepen their understanding of the project’s objectives and operational framework.
These sessions aimed to equip them with the necessary skills to tackle challenges and drive meaningful impact.
Stakeholders also worked together to develop action plans to address implementation gaps. They designed checklists and tools to accelerate project execution while ensuring long-term sustainability.
Bala Ishiaku, A
