• Nigeria plans to double milk output to 1.4 million tons annually within five years.
• The strategy includes a national livestock council and a six-pillar growth program.
• Public-private partnerships with firms like Arla and Promasidor drive sector momentum.

Nigeria, the largest milk and dairy market in West Africa, is advancing a strategy to boost local production and reduce import dependence. Minister of Livestock Development Idi Mukhtar Maiha announced that the government aims to raise annual milk production to 1.4 million tons by 2030.

As part of this plan, Nigeria will convene its first-ever National Council for the Development of Livestock by the end of 2025. The council will bring together state governments, private companies, technical partners, and pastoralist communities to develop a joint roadmap for the sector’s long-term growth.

According to the Ministry of Livestock Development, the strategy is anchored in the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Program (NL-GAS), which includes six focus areas: improved nutrition, value chain transformation, genetic upgrades, animal health, youth and women empowerment, and financing access.

“Several concrete measures have already been initiated,” Maiha said. These include the creation of a national animal genetic resources strategy and the expansion of vaccine production capacity at the National Institute for Veterinary Research in Vom—from 120 million to 850 million doses annually.

Maiha also highlighted the role of public-private partnerships in boosting dairy output. Notably, Arla Foods launched a 200-hectare dairy farm in Kaduna in 2023, and Promasidor operates the Ikun Dairy Farm in Ekiti, producing 10,000 liters of milk daily.

The Ministry is also working with FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Zaidi Farms, Integrated Dairies, and institutions like the FAO, Sahel Consulting, and CODARAN to support sector growth association, which are supporting small producers in modernizing their practices.

If the dairy industry successfully doubles its production, Nigeria may be closer to self-sufficiency on this commodity. For now, Africa's most populous country relies on imports for 70% of its dairy product consumption, which is pegged at nearly 2.2 million tons per annum, according to FAO figures.