The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Nigeria's dairy industry by identifying and scaling successful models that improve livestock genetics, expand milk collection, develop pasture and deploy technology to boost productivity across the dairy value chain.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, stated this on the third day of his working visit to Kano State during inspections of the L&Z Integrated Farms Milk Collection Centre (MCC) in Kadawa, Kura Local Government Area, the Kadawa Artificial Insemination and Genetics Centre in Garum Malam Local Government Area, and the Kano Livestock Service Centre in Bagauda.
Maiha said Nigeria's dairy transformation would depend on stronger collaboration among the government, private sector, development partners and livestock producers, stressing that scalable innovations with measurable impact must drive the country's livestock development agenda.
At the L&Z Integrated Farms Milk Collection Centre, the minister commended the company's investments in milk aggregation, farmer support, cold-chain infrastructure and irrigated pasture production, describing private sector participation as essential to increasing domestic milk production and reducing dependence on imported dairy products.
He also praised the company's establishment of a comprehensive digital database of dairy farmers, describing reliable data as critical for evidence-based planning and effective service delivery in the livestock sector.
According to the minister, quality data enables government and investors to better understand farmers' needs, design targeted interventions and assess the impact of development programmes.
A major highlight of the visit was the commissioning of the upgraded milk collection centre, which has doubled its milk handling capacity from 10,000 litres to 20,000 litres. Maiha described the expansion as a significant step toward improving milk collection, reducing post-harvest losses, strengthening quality assurance and enhancing the cold-chain system linking pastoral communities to processors.
Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of L&Z Integrated Farms, Muhammadu Damakka Abubakar, said the company's operations span the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the dairy value chain, covering milk aggregation, farmer support, processing, value addition and marketing.
He disclosed that the company operates nine solar-powered milk collection centres across Kano, Jigawa and Bauchi states, serving more than 4,000 smallholder dairy farmers organised into 53 cooperatives in over 850 settlements.
The company's Chief Operating Officer, Adelaja Ayo, said the facilities have significantly reduced post-harvest milk losses while improving farmers' access to markets, financial services, livestock feed and potable water. He added that the company plans to onboard an additional 3,000 farmers before the end of 2026.
The minister also inspected irrigated pasture development projects and modern milk preservation facilities designed to maintain product quality and food safety before processing.
At the Kadawa Artificial Insemination and Genetics Centre, Maiha reiterated the Federal Government's resolve to accelerate livestock genetic improvement to increase milk yield, improve meat production and enhance the competitiveness of indigenous cattle breeds.
Following an inspection of semen collection, evaluation, preservation and artificial insemination procedures, the minister commended the Kano State Government for upgrading the facility into a modern livestock genetics centre.
He, however, stressed that the institution should expand its mandate beyond artificial insemination to include genetic improvement, breeding research and innovation through well-structured public-private partnerships.
Maiha also called for stricter biosecurity measures, improved breeding bull management, expanded pasture development and the introduction of more high-performing cattle breeds adapted to local conditions, alongside sustained efforts to improve indigenous breeds.
The minister concluded his tour at the Kano Livestock Service Centre in Bagauda, where he inspected ongoing livestock development projects aimed at strengthening animal production, improving livestock infrastructure and enhancing service delivery in line with the Federal Government's Renewed Hope Agenda for food security, economic diversification and sustainable livelihoods.