The Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), in partnership with Farm Alert, has presented N9 million to nine young veterinarians under its entrepreneurship initiative to promote self-employment and private sector growth within the profession.

NVMA President, Dr. Moses Arokoyo, while speaking at the award ceremony, disclosed that the association has disbursed a total of N42 million over the past three years to empower young veterinarians who graduated within the last five years.

Arokoyo said, “Our goal is to encourage them to become entrepreneurs. We have discovered that any profession is only as strong as its private sector.

“With 80 percent of our professionals working privately, we are focused on building a more resilient veterinary community and addressing the challenge of unemployment.”

He highlighted the rising disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa, now estimated at $9 billion, with a significant portion linked to zoonotic diseases, saying empowering and strategically positioning veterinarians is key to effectively tackling these health challenges.

The NVMA President stated that the beneficiaries are expected to establish businesses within the veterinary sector, such as poultry farms or pharmaceutical outlets that supply medicines for zoonotic diseases, and also create job opportunities for others.

To enhance monitoring and evaluation of the program, Arokoyo said they have outlined the key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor the beneficiaries’ progress, alongside mentorship programs disclosingthey ha e have received encouraging testimonials from previous awardees,” he said.

He stated that the selection of the beneficiaries followed a transparent process, including the publication of terms of reference on various veterinarians platformw and the formation of a selection committee to assess applications.

Chairman of the NVMA Board of Trustees, Prof. Abdulganiyu Jinadu, commended the initiative, stating that with limited government capacity to provide jobs, such programs can inspire young graduates to become employers themselves.

Also speaking at the event, Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr. Musa Inuah, reiterated that the government cannot absorb all veterinary graduates into the public sector, highlighting the importance of private sector-driven employment opportunities.