Going by the proposed partnership between the RMRDC and ECOWAS, Nigeria is set to witness a boom in the livestock and abattoir subsector with the plan to set up cottage industries for processing of livestock waste materials in to viable product in Gombe, Bauchi and Edo State respectively.

Speaking during a cautery call on the Director-General (RMRDC), prof. Hussaini Doko Ibrahim, the representative of Economic Community of West Africa State (ECOWAS), Dr. Adetoyin jolaosho said, a partnership with the Council in the area of value addition and livestock-waste materials processing was critical to the development of industrial activities around the nation’s abattoirs.

Giving further clarification on the programme ,Dr jolaosho who also is the project leader of ECOWAS-PACBAO project said, “the programme is aimed at upgrading feedlot Breeding, and the meat value chain in Gombe , Bauchi and Edo states of Nigeria targeted at sustaining and improving the earnings of present operatives and providing direct & indirect jobs for youths and women’’

Speaking further, he said the project has 7 Goals namely: increase livestock productivity& income for small holder & large scale farmer; Enhancement of economic utilization of Animal slaughter by- product as raw materials for production of marketable commodities for youth & women job creation; Technical & material interventions in Abattoirs, slaughter house, public meat vending & Transportation facilities and operations; On the investment Gaps—farmers, butcher & meat vendors will be guided on how to produce Business plans & feasibility  reports to access funds from financial agencies; Enhancement of marketing through regulations & promotion of e—marketing; projecting will assist with survey & monitoring of intra – and interstate animal movements with a bid to curtail epidemiological disease transmissions, thereby reducing treatment cost for livestock farmers; Project will design & provide standard operating procedures (SOP) in Hausa Fulfulde English and pidgin for all operation in the livestock and meat value chains for stateheid easy understanding by farmers , butchers abattoir and animal /meat market operatives

Earlier in his response, the Director-General/CEO RMRDC, Prof. Hussaini Doko Ibrahim expressed satisfaction with the proposed partnership stating that it was in line with the Council’s establishing mandates which strives to promote the local sourcing, development and utilization of raw materials.

Prof. Ibrahim reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to collaborate with ECOWAS by providing technical support in line with the Council’s mandates. He said the Council’s interest was in the area of promoting the value chain of processed livestock waste in order to create value from livestock waste from the abattoirs. He said  products such as gum, button & livestock feed production will be derived from the project when fully implemented which will in addition create jobs and promote economic sustainability among the teeming youths and women in the country.