Onome Amuge
Nestlé Nigeria Plc, in collaboration with the newly established Federal Ministry of Livestock Development (FMLD), has launched a Dairy Technical Skills Development Programme. This initiative, formalised through a Letter of Intent (LOI) signed on Monday in Abuja to commemorate World Milk Day 2025, aims to enhance both the quality and volume of milk production across Nigeria.
The LOI underscores a shared commitment to developing mid-level technical and vocational skills vital for fortifying Nigeria’s dairy value chain. This partnership is designed to contribute to national food security, improve nutritional outcomes, and boost sustainable livelihoods within the sector.
Key areas of focus will include establishing capacity-building programmes centred on milk production, processing, hygiene, and management, alongside promoting industry-relevant skills through collaboratively developed training modules. The collaboration will also prioritise enhancing milk quality and productivity across local dairy clusters through knowledge sharing and direct technical support.
Wassim Elhusseini, managing director and chief executive officer of Nestlé Nigeria PLC, emphasised the company’s existing expertise. “In addition to our global dairy experience, Nestlé has built capacity to provide targeted training programmes on best practices in dairy farming adapted to the Nigerian context,” he stated.
“This Letter of Intent signifies more than a formal agreement; it reflects our mutual dedication to bridge the gap in mid-level technical skills within the dairy sector to meet the growing demands of the market. We are confident that this will have a positive impact on our communities by creating more jobs, improving livelihoods, and supporting a stronger economy,” he added.
Idi Mukhtar Maiha, the minister of livestock development, remarked “Under the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy, we are focusing on key pillars, including livestock value chain development and feed and fodder improvement.” He confirmed that the collaboration with Nestlé Nigeria will lead to the commissioning of a Dairy Training Centre in Paikon Kore, Gwagwalada, aimed at developing mid-level manpower and equipping farmers with modern practices to boost productivity.
Nestlé Nigeria has been an active contributor to the dairy sector’s enhancement since the launch of its Dairy Development Project (NLDP) in 2019. The NLDP has established 83 dairy cooperatives, benefiting over 3,000 milk producers, and has successfully aggregated more than one million litres of raw milk. Beyond aggregation, Nestlé has trained over 2,000 milk producers in best practices, administered vaccinations to over 36,744 cattle, and facilitated access to water through the construction of 19 boreholes and 28 water troughs.
These efforts have yielded tangible improvements in milk quality, with rejection rates plunging from 12 per cent in 2021 to 5 per cent in 2024. Simultaneously, the monthly revenue for milk producers has seen an increase, rising from N70,000 in 2019 to N250,000 in 2024.
The recent establishment of the Nestlé Dairy Demonstration Farm is considered a practical model, illustrating how best practices can safely escalate milk production of local breeds from an average of 1 litre per cow per day to over 10 litres. Following its successful launch, the Minister extended an invitation to Nestlé Nigeria to convert this farm into a formal training institute, an opportunity that Nestlé readily embraced, culminating in the signing of the LOI.
