Nigerian government highlights women's vital role in dairy sector for food security

The Federal Government is reaffirming its commitment to empowering women in Nigeria's dairy sector, identifying them as key drivers of food security, household nutrition, and the nation's growing dairy economy. Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, emphasized women's central role in every stage of the dairy value chain, from production and preservation to processing and marketing.

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This year’s World Milk Day celebration is particularly significant as it highlights the theme of celebrating women dairy farmers and their invaluable contributions to food security, household nutrition, rural livelihoods, and the growth of the dairy economy.

Speaking at the commencement of activities for World Milk Day, Maiha highlighted that this year's celebration theme specifically honors women dairy farmers. He noted that the ministry recognizes that meaningful transformation in the dairy sector is impossible without the inclusion and empowerment of women. The ministry plans to promote gender-responsive policies through strengthening cooperatives, skills development, and enterprise support.

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Across Nigeria, women remain central to milk production, preservation, storage, processing, and marketing.

Nigeria's dairy sector faces a substantial challenge, with an annual milk demand of approximately 1.7 million metric tonnes, while local production only meets about 600,000 to 700,000 metric tonnes. This deficit results in significant import dependence, costing the country over $1.5 billion annually. The government aims to reverse this trend through initiatives under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the newly established Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.

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The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development recognizes that no meaningful transformation of the dairy sector can occur without the inclusion and empowerment of women.

As part of these efforts, the ministry will officially launch the validated Implementation Framework of the National Dairy Policy on June 1, 2026, during the World Milk Day Conference. This framework is the result of stakeholder engagements focused on enhancing local milk production and processing capabilities.

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Our national annual milk demand is estimated at 1.7 million metric tonnes, while local production currently ranges between 600,000 and 700,000 metric tonnes annually. This gap continues to drive significant import dependence and foreign exchange expenditure estimated at over US$1.5 billion annually on dairy imports.