Academy to Bridge Knowledge, Skill Gaps in Livestock Value Chain

Bennett Oghifo

The ABIS Livestock Academy will bridge critical knowledge and skill gaps within the livestock work force, enhance productivity and value chain efficiency.

It will also enhance food safety, support regulatory compliance and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on livestock-related imports by modernising production and processing systems.

Speaking during the Technical Expert Validation session of the Curriculum of the Academy at NIRSAL auditorium on Wednesday, the Co-Founder of ABIS Group, Dr. Iliyasu Gashinbaki, said at the heart of the Academy’s mandate is a national development objective – to produce a competent, compliant and commercially viable livestock workforce capable of strengthening food security, promoting inclusive rural development, improving public health outcomes and positioning Nigeria as a credible participant in regional and global livestock, halal and agribusiness markets.

This is in line with the aspirations of ABIS Group Founder and Chairman, Ambassador Emmanuel Nelson Usman who at the earlier unveiling of the Academy said it is a national platform dedicated to technical training, certification, and institutional knowledge transfer in the livestock value chain.

“The Academy will equip young Nigerians, extension workers, and industry professionals with the skills required for primary production, processing, market development, research, and sustainability,” he had added.

Expounding on the curriculum under validation, Gashinbaki explained that it adopts a tiered, competency-based approach rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. “The curriculum progresses from foundational learning to advanced professional specialization. It provides foundational skills for smallholders and new entrants through short entry-level courses, applied training certificate programmes for supervisors and enterprise operators and at its highest level, professional certification programmes for senior managers, policymakers, and consultants. Across all levels, the curriculum emphasises hands-on learning and aligns with national and international standards in animal health, food safety, quality assurance and agribusiness development.”

Developing the curriculum under review took a tortuous but necessary process. Experts were assembled to examine all the key areas of the livestock value chain before embarking on the design. The draft then went through sectorial reviews at different stages as well as peer reviews among sector experts. The draft curriculum was then produced for validation. The next step after the validation would be to approach the regulators to present what has been done and the quality of the output. It is at this point that discussions on certifications can begin.

To ensure relevance and impact, the Technical Expert Validation Session brought together specialists from veterinary and public health, food safety and certification agencies, agribusiness finance, livestock processing, digital agriculture, academia, and key policy and development partners.

The day-long session featured lively discussions from participants who made quality inputs to deepen the curriculum drawn from the following agencies: National Board for Technical Education (NBTE); Nigerian Institute of Animal Science; Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON); National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS); Federal Ministry of Livestock Development (FMLD); Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); Veterinary Council of Nigeria; Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI); Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria; Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association;); L-PRES; UN Consult;; Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI); Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ); Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee; Tati Tech; Nasrun Nig Ltd; Dan Al Halal; Dr. Winnie Lai-Solarin; ARCN  and NIRSAL

ABIS Group, the parent company of ABIS Livestock Academy, is a Nigerian integrated agro-allied conglomerate revolutionising the Livestock value chain. Its operational Lagos plant processes 220 cattle and 3000 poultry daily. The soon-to-be-unveiled Abuja mega livestock facility will process 1,000 cattle and 400-600 tons of poultry every day. The group’s Plateau State factory will process 500 cattle and 300-400 tons of poultry daily. The facilities will significantly enhance food security, boost export competitiveness and be supported by sustainable waste to biogas practices.