Adamawa Govt Pledges Sustainability As ALDDN Programme Ends

The Adamawa State Government has pledged to sustain the gains recorded under the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme as stakeholders gathered in Yola for its official close-out event.

The event, held at City Green Hotel, marked the conclusion of the five-year programme aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s local dairy value chain and improving the livelihoods of smallholder dairy farmers.

The programme was implemented by Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Admiral’s Dairy across Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Plateau, Bauchi and Taraba states.

In Adamawa State, thousands of smallholder farmers, predominantly women, were organised into cooperatives and supported with financial inclusion initiatives, modern dairy farming practices, solar-powered boreholes, milk collection centres and stainless-steel milk cans.

Beneficiaries also received animal health interventions, Artificial Insemination (AI) services and access to direct off-take arrangements with Admiral’s Dairy, providing farmers with a more reliable market for their milk and opportunities for steady income.

Speaking on behalf of the Adamawa State Government, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Livestock and Aquaculture Development, Dr. Nyalas Barth, commended Sahel Consulting and its partners for their contributions to transforming the local dairy value chain and economically empowering rural women.

Barth assured stakeholders that the state government would continue to support the cooperatives established under the programme, sustain milk collection structures and strengthen collaboration with private-sector players towards building a productive and self-sufficient dairy economy.

He said sustaining the achievements of the programme would help improve livestock productivity, strengthen rural livelihoods and create more economic opportunities for dairy-producing communities across the state.

Traditional rulers, pastoralist leaders, dairy processors and other stakeholders at the event also pledged their commitment to sustaining the milk collection channels and other structures established under the programme.

The close-out event provided stakeholders with an opportunity to reflect on the programme’s achievements and discuss measures to ensure that its interventions continue to benefit dairy farmers and communities beyond the five-year implementation period.