FG Reaffirms Support For Climate-smart Livestock Development

The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to attracting climate finance for Nigeria’s livestock sector through stronger regional collaboration with Kenya and Zambia on climate-smart livestock development.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, stated this during a courtesy visit by participants of the Technical Working Group (TWG) Workshop on Climate Finance to his office in Abuja, a statement from the ministry has shown.

The five-day workshop, facilitated by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in partnership with the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES), brought together participants from Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia to strengthen capacity in climate finance and climate-smart livestock development.

Maiha described the initiative as a practical demonstration of African cooperation, saying Nigeria would leverage the experiences of Kenya and Zambia to accelerate the adoption of sustainable livestock production systems and improve access to global climate finance.

He said climate change remains a common challenge across the continent and called for stronger collaboration in promoting nature-based solutions that can boost livestock productivity while improving livelihoods.

The minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting the Technical Working Group through capacity building, regional knowledge exchange and collaborative initiatives aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s participation in the global climate agenda.

Nigeria’s TWG Team Lead, Dr. Peter Alike, said the workshop is equipping participants with practical skills in climate finance and proposal development to enable the country to secure funding for its climate-smart livestock programmes.

Kenya’s TWG Team Lead, Dr. Bernard Kimoro, described the engagement as a valuable platform for peer learning, noting that Kenya had gained useful insights from Nigeria’s emerging livestock business models, particularly its digital livestock market system.

GIZ Project Manager, Adekunle Adeoye, commended the Ministry of Livestock Development for supporting the initiative, saying it is promoting South-South knowledge exchange through an upcoming study visit to Colombia and engagements with other African countries to adapt global best practices to local realities.

Also, AGNES country director for Nigeria, Dr David Awolala, said the organisation is working with the African Development Bank and other climate finance windows to position Nigeria to access grants that will support climate-smart livestock interventions.

He said the objective goes beyond developing climate finance proposals to securing tangible resources for implementing sustainable livestock projects across the country.

As part of the programme, participants visited Manchong Integrated Farm in Nasarawa State, where they observed climate-smart livestock production systems designed to improve productivity, reduce environmental impact and strengthen resilience to climate change.