Poised to make the livestock sector contribute as much as 10 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the federal government is targeting to grow the sector from its current estimate of $32 billion to $92 billion within the next five years.

Disclosing this in Abuja over the weekend, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar-Maiha, said the government was deliberately drawing attention to livestock as a viable avenue for employment, livelihood and investment, particularly for people approaching or already in retirement.

According to the minister, who spoke at the presentation of a book, Guide to Self-Employment and Sustainable Retirement Plan Through Livestock Production, written by Dr Gabriel Ugwu, the establishment of the livestock ministry has brought greater focus to the sector and exposed its numerous economic opportunities.

“We want to grow the sector from the current $32 billion to about $92 billion in the next five years.

This means we need to generate a lot of activities within the sector that will help us make a mark on this,” Mukhtar-Maiha’s Special Adviser and representative, Prof. Eustace Iyayi, quoted him as saying.

Iyayi said the ministry was driving the transformation through the Nigerian Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy, which had been approved by the National Economic Council.

He listed the strategy’s 10 pillars as production and market access; animal health and disease control; feed and fodder; water resources; infrastructure; peace-building; youth and women; finance and insurance; and data and information management, among others.

Moreover, Iyayi noted that the government had also digitalised the country’s 417 grazing reserves and launched a ranching policy as part of efforts to modernise the livestock sector.

Describing livestock as a sector with enormous opportunities for retirees, Iyayi urged people still in active service to begin preparing for retirement by investing in productive ventures, adding that livestock could provide additional income and economic security for retirees.

However, the Task Team Leader of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) at the World Bank, Chigozie Anyiro, described Nigeria’s livestock sector as a sleeping economic giant with significant potential for wealth creation and employment.

He explained that the book provides practical guidance for young graduates, professionals, farmers and retirees seeking to establish sustainable livelihoods through livestock production.

According to him, the accompanying knowledge platform would provide an independent research hub capable of bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and practical challenges faced by farmers.

Also, the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Ishaku Muhammad, urged Nigerians to increasingly prepare to become employers of labour rather than depend solely on formal employment.

For his part, the chairman of the occasion, Dr Sanusi Abubakar, represented by L-PRES Technical Operations Manager, Adeoye Wasiu, noted that livestock production offers diverse opportunities for enterprise development, wealth creation and sustainable livelihoods.