Kaduna To Sustain ALDDN Gains, Integrate Interventions Into Livestock Programmes

The Kaduna State Government has said it will integrate successful interventions and lessons from the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme into its livestock development programmes to ensure sustainability beyond the five-year initiative.

Director of Livestock Services in the Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Amwe Akos, disclosed this yesterday while representing the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Murtala Mohammed-Dabo, at the ALDDN State-Level Close-Out Event held in Zaria.

Akos said the decision was aimed at ensuring continuity of key interventions and sustaining the gains recorded under the dairy development programme.

He disclosed that some of the initiatives had already been included in the state’s proposed 2027 budget, describing the move as an indication of the government’s commitment to sustaining ALDDN’s achievements.

According to him, the state government will continue to support interventions aimed at improving livestock productivity, strengthening dairy value chains and enhancing the livelihoods of participating farmers.

He said the lessons, structures and partnerships developed through ALDDN would provide a strong basis for strengthening existing livestock development initiatives and improving collaboration among stakeholders in the sector.

Akos stressed that sustaining the programme’s gains would require continued collaboration among government agencies, dairy processors, farmers, development partners, and other stakeholders.

He noted that ALDDN had provided important interventions that could increase dairy production while strengthening the capacity of smallholder farmers across participating communities.

Speaking at the event, Managing Partner, Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Ltd., Mr Temi Adegoroye, said the ALDDN programme targeted 15,000 dairy households and 120,000 beneficiaries across seven states.

Adegoroye said the programme was implemented in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Adamawa and Taraba states through processor-led interventions designed to meet the needs of participating communities.

He said the programme focused on improving dairy productivity, nutrition, women’s empowerment and livelihoods among smallholder women dairy farmers.

According to him, ALDDN also sought to promote an enabling environment for local milk sourcing, increase demand for locally produced milk and improve farmers’ access to technical support and agricultural inputs.

He added that the programme promoted financial inclusion among women dairy farmers through partnerships with financial institutions, thereby improving their access to financial services and alternative income-generating opportunities.

Adegoroye further said the programme supported infrastructure development by providing solar-powered boreholes, milk cans, milk collection points, parlours, and milk evacuation vehicles.

He said ALDDN also worked with government institutions and dairy companies on policy advocacy to strengthen local raw milk sourcing and create an enabling environment for the growth of the dairy industry.

Also speaking, Managing Director, Kaduna Ranch Development Company Ltd., Dr Ibrahim Yusuf, said the state would sustain the gains of ALDDN through improved feed production and other livestock development initiatives.

Yusuf said the company was integrating lessons from the programme into the state’s sustainability framework, particularly in feed production and improved livestock productivity.

He disclosed that the company was working on 600 hectares of the Damau Grazing Reserve in the Kubau Local Government Area, with 110 hectares already earmarked for livestock feed production.

Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SAJ Foods Ltd., Alhaji Sanusi Abdullahi, said ALDDN had strengthened linkages among farmers, cooperatives, processors, government institutions and development partners.

Abdullahi said the programme had contributed to improved dairy productivity, market access, farmer organisation and financial inclusion, while creating greater opportunities for women in dairy-producing communities.

He urged stakeholders to preserve the structures, knowledge, relationships and lessons developed through the programme, stressing that the close-out should mark a transition to sustained collective action in the dairy sector.