By peterside Rejoice Eneky
The Federal Government has announced a major push to double Nigeria’s milk production from the current 700,000 metric tonnes to 1.4 million metric tonnes over the next five years.
The initiative, unveiled during the 2025 World Milk Day celebration in Abuja, aims to transform the country’s livestock sector through innovation, youth engagement, and strategic investment.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, described the goal as “ambitious but achievable,” citing Nigeria’s robust livestock population, including over 20.9 million cattle, 60 million sheep, and 1.4 million goats. He emphasized that the move would improve child nutrition, boost local economies, and strengthen national food security.
Maiha praised Nestlé Nigeria for its role in advancing dairy development through the Nestlé Dairy Development Project (NLDP), launched in 2019. The project has established 83 dairy cooperatives, benefiting over 3,000 milk producers, and has aggregated more than one million litres of raw milk. It has also helped reduce milk rejection rates from 12% in 2021 to just 5% in 2024.
“Through strategic partnerships and sustained investment, Nestlé has demonstrated what’s possible when the private sector works hand-in-hand with communities,” Maiha said.
Under the NLDP, more than 2,000 milk producers have been trained in best practices, over 36,744 cattle vaccinated, and water infrastructure improved with the construction of 19 boreholes and 28 troughs. These interventions have led to a rise in productivity, with some local cattle now producing over 10 litres of milk per day up from just 1 litre in 2019. Income for participating farmers has also risen significantly, from N70,000 in 2019 to N250,000 in 2024.
Impressed by the impact of Nestlé’s demonstration farm, Maiha invited the company to convert it into a national training institute for dairy farmers.
Nestlé also announced the launch of the Dairy Technical Skills Development Program, in collaboration with the Ministry of Livestock Development. Formalized through a Letter of Intent (LOI) signed on World Milk Day, the program aims to address skill gaps in Nigeria’s dairy value chain and strengthen the country’s capacity for milk production, processing, and hygiene management.
Wassim Elhusseini, Managing Director and CEO of Nestlé Nigeria PLC, said the company is committed to building local capacity through practical, context-specific training.
“This LOI reflects our shared vision to empower communities, enhance milk quality and productivity, and ultimately support economic growth,” Elhusseini said.
The dairy sector initiative is part of broader efforts by the federal government to modernize agriculture, reduce dependence on imports, and ensure food self-sufficiency
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