Nigeria’s Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Muktar Maha, has commissioned the first Livestock Control Post and Guarantee Facility in Mfum, a border community with the Republic of Cameroon in Cross River State, south-south Nigeria.
Maha said the Mfum facility has been designed to strengthen Nigeria’s border livestock management system, improve disease surveillance and facilitate safer regional livestock trade.
The minister, during a courtesy call on the Cross River deputy governor, Dr. Peter Odey, said that the facility, which is located in the central district of the State, was critical for Nigeria’s economy as it would ensure only healthy livestock were allowed across the country’s international borders.
He said, “this is the first of its kind that we are building in the country. We are proud that Cross River is the first state where this is being formally commissioned.”
According to him, the Mfum project is one of 12 livestock control posts planned across Nigeria’s international border corridors to strengthen animal health certification and curb the spread of transboundary animal diseases.
Obudu Ranch Plan
The minister said that he would be inspecting livestock facilities at the Obudu Ranch Resort and across the state to assess ongoing development to attract private sector investment.
He explained that the Obudu livestock development plan would include facilities for cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and a dairy centre to be developed in partnership with a Nigerian university.
“All we need is the right incentives to get it started here in Cross River. Our farmers are ready and the state government is providing an environment that can make this a source of national pride,” he said.
Developing Abattoir Ecosystem
Maha unveiled plans for a 500-head-per-day modern abattoir ecosystem with the capacity to generate 10,000 jobs across the livestock value chain in Cross River aimed at reducing dependence on cattle transported from northern Nigeria.
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He said, “we believe Cross River is well positioned to dominate the red meat industry in the south-south. With Calabar’s access to the coast, we are just about five hours from Gulf markets. The value of Nigeria’s red meat export is estimated at 3.4 billion dollars.”
Speaking further, the minister said that plans were underway to import 60 million hatachable eggs on the short-term to stabilise livestock supply nationwide and license more operators in order to reduce waiting time for farmers.
He also noted that the Gulf of Guinea markets have strong demands for fodder production, which provides investment opportunities as part of the livestock value chain, noting, “others include feed cold-chain storage, processing and transportation.”
Desired Partnership
In his speech, the deputy governor, Peter Odey, expressed the readiness of Cross River State to partner with the Ministry of Livestock Development to make the state a major livestock and export hub for Nigeria and West Africa.
Odey expressed delight that Cross River was amongst the 12 State selected to benefit from the establishment of the livestock Control Post and Guarantee Facility.
He commended the minister for partnering with the state government on Obudu Ranch Resort facilities, disclosing that the establishment was being upgraded into a five-star tourism and livestock investment destination capable of attracting visitors and investors from across the world.
According to the deputy governor, the Livestock Control Post and Guarantee facility project was in line with the Cross River State broader trade corridor strategy and assured the ministry of full cooperation.
