President Buhari launches L- PRES to boost productivity and commercialization in the livestock sector.
President Muhammadu Buhari had launched the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) to improve productivity, commercialization and address other challenges bedeviling targeted value chains in the livestock sector of the country.
Speaking during the event that took place at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja on 31st of January 2023, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari said the initiative was necessary especially with the diversification of the economy from oil dependence to the Agricultural sector, as such, the livestock sector holds the key of liberating many Nigerians from the over dependence on Government for jobs and livelihood to guarantee food and nutrition security.
He stated that, “L-PRES is a six-year programme being implemented by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in partnership with the World Bank Group, Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) and Private Investors in the country adding that the 36 states of Nigeria and FCT are eligible to participate after meeting up with eligibility criteria.”
He informed that the surge in the age-long conflict had been recently attributed to the complex interaction between the changing nature of the availability and access to natural resources land and water in the region as a result of the effects of climate change, nothing that other factors include the rapidly rising population of humans and livestock, diminishing arable and grazing lands, among others.
He pointed out that, “L-PRES project will complement our efforts in the sector, as it is set to provide financing for explicitly mainstreaming climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives across all relevant policies and strategies, including the Livestock Master Plan and the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) and the National Agriculture Transformation Innovation Policy (NATIP).”
In his words, “Our commitment to the Health and Welfare of our livestock population in line with global best practices is evidently clear in the huge investments we have made into that and between 2020 and 2022 more than 12.5 million doses of vaccines have been procured and administered against transboundary animal diseases of livestock and poultry.”
The President expressed optimism on translating and harnessing the country’s potentials into successes achievements through diverse and innovative agriculture transformation that can be driven by L-PRES in recognition of the unique position of the country as Africa’s most populous nation, with a population of over 200 million people and home to the largest economy in the continent.
In his remarks, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Mahmood Abubakar described the project as an intervention pathway that promises to facilitate and trigger the productivity and resilience in the livestock sector in the country and beyond.
He revealed that the objective of L-PRES aligns with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Plan (NATIP) and the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), which is to ensure the recovery and growth of the sector after the COVID-19 pandemic drawback, achieving knowledge and technology driven Agriculture for the attainment of Sustainable National Food Security and Nutrition; diversification, jobs creation and resilience.
He commended the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration for the vision, support, encouragement, and confidence reposed in the Ministry and tasked specialists saddled with the responsibility for effective and efficient projects implementation.
In his Goodwill message, the World Bank Country Representative, Shubham Chaudhuri who was represented by his Deputy, Kathleen Whimp, stated that the project would go long way in elevating poverty in the country as it would generate employment for the teeming youths and help in eradicating zoonotic animal diseases in the livestock sector, assuring for the Organization’s continuous support and commitment to the project.
In an interactive session with the media, the National Project Coordinator, Sanusi Abubakar, lauded the Federal Government, through the Ministry and the stakeholders for the opportunity to serve and assured of dedication and commitment to deliver on his mandate.
He added that 19 states in the federation had already key in to the initiative and hoping others will join as the implementation process would be at the state level.
In attendance were the representatives of State Governors, the Minister of Environment, representatives of the Minister of FCT, State Commissioners of Agriculture, the Emir of Nasarawa, others critical stakeholders and development partners, among others.