The Abis Livestock Academy has said it is committed to bridge critical knowledge and skill gaps within the livestock work force enhance productivity and value chain efficiency.

It also said it would enhance food safety, support regulatory compliance and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on livestock-related imports by modernising production and processing systems.

According to a statement at the weekend, the Co-Founder of ABIS Group, Dr Iliyasu Gashinbaki, stated this during the Technical Expert Validation session of the Curriculum of the Academy at NIRSAL auditorium.

He said at the heart of the Academy’s mandate is a national development objective – to produce a competent, compliant and commercially viable livestock workforce capable of strengthening food security, promoting inclusive rural development, improving public health outcomes and positioning Nigeria as a credible participant in regional and global livestock, halal and agribusiness markets.

This is in line with the aspirations of ABIS Group Founder & Chairman, Ambassador Emmanuel Nelson Usman, who at the earlier unveiling of the academy said it was a national platform dedicated to technical training, certification, and institutional knowledge transfer in the livestock value chain.

“The academy will equip young Nigerians, extension workers, and industry professionals with the skills required for primary production, processing, market development, research, and sustainability,” he had added.

Expounding on the curriculum under validation, Gashinbaki explained that it adopted a tiered, competency-based approach rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

“The curriculum progresses from foundational learning to advanced professional specialisation. It provides foundational skills for smallholders and new entrants through short entry-level courses, applied training certificate programmes for supervisors and enterprise operators and at its highest level, professional certification programmes for senior managers, policymakers, and consultants.

Across all levels, the curriculum emphasises hands-on learning and aligns with national and international standards in animal health, food safety, quality assurance and agribusiness development.”

To ensure relevance and impact, the Technical Expert Validation Session brought together specialists from veterinary and public health, food safety and certification agencies, agribusiness finance, livestock processing, digital agriculture, academia, and key policy and development partners.

The day-long session featured discussions from participants who made quality inputs to deepen the curriculum drawn from the following agencies: National Board for Technical Education (NBTE); Nigerian Institute of Animal Science; Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON); National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); and Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), among others.