• Nigeria, Nestlé sign MoU for dairy training center in Abuja
• Center to train farmers in breeding, milking, and farm management
• Initiative aims boost yields, cut imports, improve local milk supply

Nigeria’s Ministry of Livestock Development on April 8 signed a memorandum of understanding with Nestlé Nigeria Plc to establish a technical training center for dairy production in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of efforts to modernize the sector and reduce reliance on imports.

The facility will serve as a hands-on training hub combining fieldwork with classroom instruction. Trainees will acquire practical skills in breeding, assisted calving, calf management, farm operations, record-keeping, milking techniques, hygiene standards, feed management and animal welfare.

The government says the initiative aims to improve productivity in traditional pastoral systems, where average milk yields remain low at one to two liters per cow per day.

Nestlé Nigeria will support the program with technical expertise. In 2025, the company launched a dairy development farm on a four-hectare site in the Paikon Kore grazing reserve in Abuja. Authorities say the pilot has demonstrated that improved breeding, feeding and herd management practices can increase yields to up to 10 liters per cow per day.

For both public authorities and private operators, strengthening farmers’ technical capacity is seen as a key driver to increase the availability and quality of locally produced milk, while building a more reliable supply network.

A major player in Nigeria’s dairy market, Nestlé produces and markets products under brands such as NIDO and NAN. In 2025, the company reported collecting around 6,000 liters of milk per day from a network of nearly 3,000 farmers.

Push for self-sufficiency

The training center forms part of a broader government strategy to close Nigeria’s dairy supply gap.

In February, the ministry joined a trilateral partnership with Brazil and the United Kingdom under the “Trilateral Initiative for Climate-Smart Cattle Systems,” aimed at boosting livestock productivity through technology.

On March 12, the government also signed a cooperation agreement with the European Union Dairy Coalition, which includes Arla Foods, Danone and FrieslandCampina. The partnership focuses on genetic improvement, livestock system development and increased local production.

More recently, on March 19, 2026, Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund, the NSIA, signed a memorandum of understanding with British private equity firm Asset Green Ltd for an integrated dairy project valued at nearly $500 million.

These initiatives support the government’s target, set in 2025, to double national milk production to 1.4 million metric tons by 2030, with backing from private investors and international partners. Nigeria currently spends about $1.5 billion annually on dairy imports to meet domestic demand.

Stéphanas Assocle