Nigerian Government Launches Tech To Monitor Livestock Nationwide

To identify and track livestock in Nigeria, the Federal Government has launched the National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS) for the country.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mahmood Abubakar disclosed this on Wednesday, at the inauguration of the system, in Abuja.

Speaking further, he said that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, under the National Livestock Transformation Plan, initiated the NAITS as a strategy to address the socio-economic and security challenges bedeviling the livestock sector and dearth of data for proper planning, among others.

His words: “The ministry has been collaborating and will continue to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the NAITS for Nigeria is internationally recognised, efficient and effective to address the livestock data needs of the country. As you are all aware, technology advancements have rapidly enhanced productivity across all sectors of our economy.The progress made so far to actualize animal identification and traceability in Nigeria as well as other innovations in agriculture have been largely driven by digital transformation which has produced exponential results. I am therefore particularly pleased that the inauguration of the National Animal Identification and Traceability System to enhance the activities of our domestic livestock sector is taking place at this time. He explained that the system was a comprehensive animal information management tool that would utilize forgery-proof ear tags and cattle passports combined with digital technology to identify and track livestock across Nigeria. This system complies with the global standards stipulated by the International Committee for Animal Recording,” the minister stated.

“The successful implementation of NAITS will support livestock owners to identify their animals, curb livestock rustling, and facilitate interventions in the livestock sector. It will ensure the provision of credit and insurance, livestock movement control, animal recording for genetic improvement and research, ease of traceability, surveillance, animal disease control and enable trade among others”, he said.

He added that animal identification and traceability were necessary in enabling Nigeria compete favorably in the African Continental Free Trade Area and would take Nigeria livestock and its products into the international market.

He noted that NAITS as part of the NLTP would be implemented in all 36 states including Bauchi, Edo, Enugu, Lagos, Katsina, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo and the Federal Capital Territory, and will continue until all states are covered.

“It is therefore gratifying to note that stakeholder engagement and sensitization on NAITS have already commenced in some states including the FCT”, he said.

Agro Nigeria