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Minister of Livestock Development, Mukhtar Idi Maiha has commended ABIS Group for its foresight and commitment by organising a dialogue for the transformation of the livestock sector and inaugurating an academy that will serve as a centre for technical knowledge transfer. “This is a demonstration of leadership and vision,” he declared. “In every great transformation story, there are institutions that light the way, and I am confident that ABIS is providing such leadership for our livestock industry.” The minister spoke at the launch of ABIS Livestock Academy and “National Livestock Transformation Dialogue” in Abuja on Tuesday. The Dialogue featured expert submissions, paper presentation and an interactive session. Maiha maintained that for the livestock sector to achieve its full economic promise, production must connect seamlessly to processing, markets and consumers. “In essence, the grazing reserve and the abattoir are two ends of the same vision. At one end, we are ensuring that animals are raised sustainably, in a way that preserves the environment, prevents conflict and enhances productivity. At the other, we are guaranteeing that the meat and by-products from those animals are processed under hygienic, world-class conditions that meet international standards. Between these two ends lies the promise of a value chain that creates jobs, empowers youth and women, drives industrial growth, and secures Nigeria’s place in the global livestock market.” The minister said that this is where the ABIS initiative becomes invaluable. “By investing in the modernisation of abattoirs, cold storage systems and structured meat distribution, ABIS is providing the critical link that transforms raw livestock production into high-quality products that are safe, branded and competitive both locally and globally. Nigeria cannot remain a nation that sells live animals while others capture the wealth in processing.” In his keynote address, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of NIRSAL, Sa’aad Hamidu noted that the potential in the livestock sector is immense but yet to be fully tapped. He rolled out statistics of the support that NIRSAL has provided and continue to provide to key players in the livestock sector, including ABIS Group. “Since inception, we have facilitated over N270 billion in loans and investments to players in the agriculture value chain, including the ABIS’ 2,000 per day livestock processing facility and other livestock production activities,” he revealed.
