The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have begun discussions on technical cooperation to improve livestock identification and traceability, food safety and certification in Nigeria.
The proposed partnership is also expected to strengthen laboratory capacity and prepare the country’s livestock sector for greater participation in international trade.
The discussions, involving officials of the Ministry and UNIDO, focused on practical measures to build a transparent, efficient and internationally competitive livestock industry.
Speaking during the engagement, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, stressed the importance of establishing a reliable animal identification and traceability system to support the growth of livestock production and exports.
According to a statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations, Henrietta Okokon on Tuesday, she said international buyers would require assurance that livestock and livestock products could be traced throughout the value chain.
“No trading partner will take any piece of meat from you if you don't have a system capable of tracing livestock and livestock products through the value chain,” Akujobi said.
She, however, emphasised that food safety and quality standards must benefit Nigerian consumers as well as support exports.
“Whatever we are doing should cut across products for both international and domestic markets,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary disclosed that the Ministry was developing a policy framework for animal identification and traceability and would welcome UNIDO’s technical expertise in infrastructure, software and capacity development.
She also sought guidance on suitable identification technologies, including tags and microchips, with consideration for affordability, available equipment and sustainability for farmers.
Other areas identified for possible collaboration include the establishment of disease-free zones or compartments, training of federal and state veterinary inspectors, improved biosecurity and upgrading of laboratory facilities.
On its part, UNIDO expressed readiness to support Nigeria in deploying digital technologies for livestock identification and traceability.
The UNIDO Regional Programme Manager, Adalberto Carvalho Santos Vieira, said the organisation had implemented livestock identification and traceability systems in other countries and could provide technical support to Nigeria.
“UNIDO has successfully worked on livestock identification and traceability systems in other nations. We believe we can support the deployment of digital tracking technology to guarantee animal health, build consumer trust and open doors to related exports,” Vieira said.
He added that UNIDO could also assist in strengthening testing and food safety systems, laboratory capacity, inspector training and certification processes.
The proposed collaboration would further involve assessing existing national and regional capacities and identifying critical gaps that need to be addressed.
The partnership is expected to contribute to Nigeria’s efforts to expand exports of honey, red meat and other livestock-related products by ensuring that products are properly traced, tested and certified in line with applicable international standards.