Livestock Value Chain Actors Set to Tap Into $2.5bn FDI withCapacity Development from NIRSAL

Post by Supreme International Magazine 

June 2, 2025, Abuja, Nigeria – In a bold move to position Nigeria as

a leading supplier of quality beef to domestic and global markets,

NIRSAL Plc, with support from the Federal Ministry of Livestock

Development, has launched a Feedlot Management Training

Program aimed at preparing the country’s livestock value chain

actors to tap into the $2.5 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

deal recently sealed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with global

meatpacking giant, JBS.

Held in Abuja recently, the first cohort of the training program

comes at a critical moment when Nigeria is stepping into the

spotlight as a global meat investment destination of choice. The JBS

partnership will see six modern meat processing plants built across

the country—with two dedicated to beef, ushering in increased

demand for premium feedstock from local producers.

Speaking at the opening session, Mr. Sa’ad Hamidu, Managing

Director/CEO of NIRSAL Plc, laid out the program’s strategic intent:

“This is not just another training; it is a targeted intervention aimed

at creating bankable agribusinesses by improving feed formulation

practices, reducing input waste, and optimizing livestock finishing

cycles for increased market value. As it is, we are preparing

Nigerian livestock producers to feed not just the nation, but the

world. And this aligns directly with the Federal Government’s vision

for an agriculturally empowered, export-ready nation.”

Amongst other accomplishments, the program targets the

production of export-grade meat in Nigeria, while improving the

productivity and profitability of the producers

Though the $2.5 billion deal with JBS is the most notable in the series

of investments bound for Nigeria’s livestock sub-sector, it is not the

only one. Local companies like ABIS Group are also making

significant investments in the meat value chain, creating further

demand for high-quality feedstock.

Participants in the first cohort of the training program were drawn

from the Ministry of Livestock Development, the Agric Department

of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), National

Association of Cattle Dealers, Processors & Marketers of Nigeria

(NACDPMAN), Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle

Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN), Maidoki Farms Ltd, and others.

The Director of Ranch and Pastoral Resources Development in the

Ministry of Livestock Development, Shekamang Ayuba, himself a

participant, praised the training as “eye-opening and apt”, urging

its expansion nationwide.

Nigeria’s livestock sector, rich in potential but hampered by

outdated practices, poor-quality feed, and limited financing,

stands on the brink of genuine transformation. NIRSAL’s intervention

aims to unlock the full potential of the sub-sector by addressing

structural gaps through a blend of:

•

Technical capacity-building

•

Risk-sharing incentives for lenders

•

End-to-end value chain support, and

•

Strategic public-private collaborations.

About NIRSAL:

NIRSAL Plc is a dynamic non-bank financial institution wholly-owned

by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Established in 2013, NIRSAL is tasked

with transforming Nigeria’s agriculture by de-risking the sector and

deploying innovations to make it more attractive to commercial

finance. To date, NIRSAL has facilitated over N250 billion into

agricultural value chains, and continues to redefine agriculturerelated credit risk, improve credit flow, and drive agribusiness

development in Nigeria.