To scale up livestock value chains in Nigeria, Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agriculture Lending (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.

The training is coming as a follow up to a recently signed agreement by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with global meatpacking giant, JBS.

Held in Abuja, 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 programme’s strategic intent, saying:

“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, exportready nation.”

A m o n g s t o t h e r accomplishments, the programme targets the production of exportgrade 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.