New Dairy Training Centre to Boost Milk Production in Nigeria

Rebecca Ejifoma

For years, many small-scale milk producers in Nigeria have struggled with low productivity, poor milk handling practices and limited access to technical training.

These challenges have limited the growth of the nation’s dairy sector and affected the livelihoods of thousands of pastoralists who depend on milk production for income.

A new Dairy Technical Skills Development Centre planned for Paikon Kore in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, could help address some of these persisting problems.

The centre is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed this April between Nestlé Nigeria Plc and the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.

The initiative is designed to strengthen technical capacity among dairy farmers, improve milk quality and boost productivity across the dairy value chain.

For pastoralists like Suleiman Ahmed, Chairman of Dairy Cooperatives, the project is an opportunity to gain practical skills in areas like animal health, hygiene, milk handling, processing and farm management.

For some time now, industry observers have highlighted the need for more structured training within the nation’s dairy sector. Despite having one of the largest cattle populations in Africa, Nigeria has continued to face challenges including low milk yields, inadequate veterinary services, poor storage infrastructure and limited access to modern dairy practices.

The new training centre aims to bridge some of these gaps by providing hands-on technical education and capacity-building programmes for milk producers and other stakeholders in the dairy value chain.

The facility will be located at the Nestlé Dairy Demonstration Farm and then builds on existing efforts to improve dairy production in local communities. This shows a growing collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders who seek to strengthen domestic milk production and reduce the country’s dependence on imported dairy products.

Since 2019, the Nestlé Livestock Development Project (NLDP) has worked with dairy communities across Nigeria to improve milk quality and productivity. According to project figures, 83 dairy cooperatives have been established, and benefited over 3,000 milk producers.

The initiative has also aggregated over one million litres of raw milk, trained more than 2,000 pastoralists and facilitated the vaccination of over 36,000 cattle.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Livestock Development, Mukhtar Idi Maiha said stronger technical capacity would be critical to “Unlocking the potential of Nigeria’s dairy industry”.

He noted that improving skills across the value chain could help increase productivity and raise milk quality standards.

Maiha said the initiative aligns with the objectives of the National Dairy Policy under the National Development Plan, which aims to promote growth in the livestock sector while also enhancing food security and economic opportunities.

Following the signing of the agreement, both parties are expected to move into the implementation phase, including the development of training frameworks, site preparation and the gradual rollout of programmes in collaboration with industry stakeholders.

The Managing Director and CEO of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Wassim Elhussein, noted that this partnership with the ministry allows “Us to expand the reach of our structured approach to building the skills required to improve productivity, enhance quality, and support long-term sustainability in the sector.”

The centre is expected to focus on developing mid-level technical skills that are often lacking within the sector.

Supporters of the initiative believe that improved training could help farmers adopt better production practices, reduce losses and increase earnings from dairy activities.

While the success of the project will depend on effective implementation, many dairy producers see it as a step toward addressing some of the structural challenges that have constrained the sector for decades.

For thousands of milk producers across Nigeria, access to practical knowledge and technical support could prove as important as access to markets and financing in order to build more sustainable livelihoods.