In a bold move to unlock N33 trillion economic potential in Nigeria’s livestock sector, stakeholders validated the national strategy and action plan on animal genetic Resources Management (AnGR) yesterday.
The stakeholders included the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), the National Institution of Animal Science, the Adacamia, traditional leaders and the private sector, including the Dutch government.
Speaking to journalists during the workshop in Abuja, Dr Popoola Mustafa, Project Team Lead and member of the Presidential Committee on Livestock Programme, said the initiative aims to strengthen Nigeria’s animal genetic resources in alignment with the Global Plan of Action (GPA) on Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR) management.
He explained that the meeting marked a critical step in domesticating the GPA on AnGR, which Nigeria signed in 2007 but has yet to fully implement.
Dr Mustafa emphasised the importance of genetic characterization, stating that Nigeria lacks a proper system to identify and classify its animals.
According to him, this oversight has led to genetic diversion and inefficient resource utilisation, with no distinction between livestock bred for meat, milk, or other purposes.
He explained that Nigeria’s livestock sector currently faces significant challenges, including the absence of genotypic and phenotypic profiling, limiting understanding of genetic traits and their applications, and genetic diversion. He noted that the unregulated mixing of local and foreign breeds has reduced productivity and undermined efficiency.
Speaking earlier, L-PRES national coordinator Sanusi Abubakar said the Global Plan of Action has 23 Strategic Priorities for Action, divided into four strategic priorities.
He said the L-PRES project has also initiated the steps to establish a National Gene Bank, which will be preceded by characterisation, inventory, and monitoring of trends and associated risks in AnGR.
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