Nigeria’s livestock sector—a Sleeping Giant that employs 30% of the rural population—is finally getting a high-tech wake-up call. The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has officially launched a nationwide tour across all six geopolitical zones to turn livestock farming from a “survivalist trade” into a bankable, industrial powerhouse.
Under the World Bank-funded Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), the initiative kicked off in Enugu this Wednesday, signaling a new era of “Resilient Agribusiness.”
The Strategy: Bridging the “Trust Gap”
The primary hurdle for Nigerian livestock farmers has never been a lack of animals; it’s been a lack of “financial language.” Banks often view livestock as high-risk due to disease and climate volatility. DBN is fixing this by training Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) to design specialized insurance and loan products.
The Training Blueprint:
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Financial Readiness: Teaching SMEs how to structure their books to qualify for institutional funding.
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Risk Mitigation: Helping banks understand the “unit economics” of beef, dairy, poultry, and small ruminants.
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Product Customization: Moving away from one-size-fits-all loans to seasonal, flexible credit cycles.
The “Golden Carrot”: World Bank Performance Grants
For the 300 SMEs and 200 financial institutions participating, the stakes are high. High-performing businesses that demonstrate transparency and growth during the training will qualify for World Bank-approved performance-based grants. > “Capacity-building is the catalyst for unlocking livestock enterprises as drivers of prosperity,” says Dr. Tony Okpanachi, CEO of DBN. “We are bridging the skill gap so our entrepreneurs can compete in a rapidly evolving global market.”
A Nationwide Industrial Map
The training isn’t just a seminar; it’s a regional deployment. By targeting specific hubs, DBN ensures that Nigeria’s diverse livestock needs—from the dairy of the North to the poultry of the South—are addressed:
| Zone | Host State | Strategic Focus |
| South-East | Enugu | Poultry and Small Ruminant Value Chains |
| North-East | Adamawa | Beef Cattle and Dairy Development |
| South-West/South-South | Ondo | Modernized Husbandry and Processing |
| North-West | Kano | Large-scale Commercialization and Feedlots |
| North-Central | Kogi | Livestock Service Centers and Resilience |
The Big Picture: Renewed Hope for Food Security
This project aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Livestock Development Initiative. With the GDP contribution of livestock currently hovering at a mere 2-3%, the goal is to reposition the sector as a pillar of national food security.
By the end of this tour, DBN expects to have built a network of “investment-ready” farmers capable of feeding 200 million Nigerians while creating a hedge against inflation.
