Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Federal Government has begun discussions with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation on technical collaboration to strengthen livestock traceability, food safety and Nigeria's capacity to export meat, honey and other livestock products, in a move that officials say is essential to meeting the demands of international trading partners.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development on Tuesday following an engagement between officials of the ministry and UNIDO. According to the statement, the proposed collaboration will focus on animal identification and traceability, laboratory capacity, certification and compliance with international trade requirements.
Speaking during the engagement, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Chinyere Akujobi, said animal identification and traceability would be critical to the growth of the livestock sector as Nigeria seeks to expand production and exports. She was unequivocal about the implications for market access. "No trading partner will take any piece of meat from you if you don't have a system capable of tracing livestock and livestock products through the value chain," Akujobi said.
Akujobi stressed that quality and safety measures should not be limited to exports but should also protect Nigerian consumers. "Whatever we are doing should cut across products for both international and domestic markets," she said. She said the ministry was working towards establishing a policy framework for animal identification and traceability and would welcome UNIDO's technical input on infrastructure, software and capacity building. The Permanent Secretary also sought UNIDO's experience with identification technologies, including tags and microchips, while considering affordability, available equipment and long-term sustainability for farmers.
The ministry identified the development of disease-free zones or compartments, training of Federal and state veterinary inspectors, stronger biosecurity and upgraded laboratory capacity as other areas requiring attention. These measures are consistent with international standards for livestock trade, which require exporting countries to demonstrate that their animals and products meet sanitary and phytosanitary requirements. Disease-free zones, in particular, are a prerequisite for access to premium markets, allowing countries to certify that specific regions are free of designated animal diseases.
Presenting UNIDO's areas of potential support, the organisation's Regional Programme Manager, Adalberto Vieira, said it could assist Nigeria in deploying digital technologies for livestock identification and traceability. He said linking animal identification to databases would strengthen animal health, build consumer confidence and facilitate access to international markets. "UNIDO has successfully worked on livestock identification and traceability systems in other nations. We believe we can support the deployment of digital tracking technology to guarantee animal health, build consumer trust and open doors to related exports," Vieira said. UNIDO also expressed readiness to support testing and food safety systems, including laboratory capacity, inspector training and certification processes. According to the ministry, the organisation would also help assess existing national and regional capacities and identify priority gaps.
The proposed collaboration is expected to strengthen Nigeria's capacity to export honey, red meat and other livestock products by ensuring they can be traced, tested and certified to meet applicable international requirements. For a country with one of the largest livestock populations in Africa, the inability to meet traceability and certification standards has long been a barrier to exporting meat and other animal products to markets in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Nigerian livestock products are often excluded from these markets because the country cannot demonstrate that its animals are free of diseases or that its processing facilities meet international hygiene standards.
The engagement builds on earlier efforts by the Federal Government to implement a national traceability system. In 2022, the government launched the National Animal Identification and Traceability System, a comprehensive animal information management system designed to utilise forgery-proof ear tags and cattle passports combined with digital technology to identify and track livestock across Nigeria. The initiative was intended to curb cattle rustling, improve disease control and boost agricultural export capabilities. However, three years after its launch, reporting by AllAfrica indicated that the N68.3 million digital tool built around Ranch.ID had yet to curb cattle rustling, reflecting the implementation challenges that have historically constrained such initiatives.
In July 2026, the Minister of Livestock Development announced that the ministry would soon commence the implementation of the National Animal Identification, Tagging and Traceability System, a nationwide programme that will provide digital registration and identification for cattle, sheep and goats. The initiative is expected to strengthen livestock identification and traceability, improve animal health management and boost Nigeria's access to international livestock markets. The ministry has also been working on validating the National Livestock Information Management System, a platform designed to centralise data on animal populations, markets, animal health and other metrics.
The discussions with UNIDO therefore represent a continuation of efforts to build the infrastructure and capacity required for a functional traceability system. The collaboration, if finalised, would provide Nigeria with access to UNIDO's technical expertise in deploying digital tracking technologies, building laboratory capacity and training inspectors and certification personnel. UNIDO's experience in other countries could help Nigeria avoid the pitfalls that have hindered previous attempts to implement traceability at scale.
For Nigerian livestock farmers, herders and processors, a functional traceability system could open access to markets that have long been closed to them. For consumers, both domestic and international, it would provide assurance that Nigerian meat and honey are safe and meet quality standards. For the government, it would represent a significant step toward diversifying the economy away from oil and expanding the agricultural sector's contribution to export earnings. The Ministry of Livestock Development, created under the Tinubu administration, has identified livestock as a priority sector for economic growth, job creation and export diversification.
The engagement with UNIDO comes amid a broader push by the Federal Government to strengthen food safety and quality infrastructure. UNIDO has previously implemented the National Quality Infrastructure Project in Nigeria with funding from the European Union, aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Nigerian goods and services in domestic and export markets and achieving zero export rejection of Nigerian agro-products. The organisation has also worked with the Nigeria Export Promotion Council and the private sector to promote traceability technologies and digital logistics services that streamline agri-food supply chains, reduce food waste and improve food safety.
For Nigeria, the challenge is not merely technical but institutional. A traceability system requires coordination across federal and state agencies, consistent enforcement of regulations, investment in laboratory infrastructure, training of veterinarians and inspectors, and the cooperation of farmers and herders who must register and tag their animals. The ministry's request for UNIDO's assistance in assessing existing capacities and identifying priority gaps suggests an awareness that the system cannot be built overnight. As Akujobi put it, the quality and safety measures must cut across both international and domestic markets, protecting Nigerian consumers while also meeting the standards that trading partners demand. The discussions with UNIDO are a step toward building that system, and the coming months will determine whether the collaboration translates into the infrastructure and policies required to make Nigerian livestock products competitive in international markets.
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