By Chris Onuoha
Nestlé Nigeria Plc has formalized a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to establish a Dairy Technical Skills Development Centre in Paikon Kore, Gwagwalada, Abuja in the federal capital.
The initiative, focusing on technical capacity building, milk quality improvement and productivity gains in Nigeria’s dairy sector is located at the Nestlé Dairy Demonstration Farm, that extends the company’s Livestock Development Project (NLDP), launched in 2019.
Within the framework of the initiative, some of the key milestones achieved include the farm’s 2025 opening and a ‘Letter of Intent’ signed on World Milk Day. This marks a shift from pilots to scalable skills training across the dairy value chain.
In addition, the collaboration will prioritize among other things, enhanced on-farm practices in milk production, processing, hygiene, and management as its core training focus.
Others are industry-aligned technical skills developed with stakeholders, improved value chain coordination and milk quality in local dairy clusters.
Recall that since inception, NLDP has established 83 dairy cooperatives, benefiting over 3,000 producers and aggregating more than one million litres of raw milk. It has also trained over 2,000 pastoralists, vaccinated 36,744 cattle and has introduced key production infrastructure.
These efforts underscore Nestlé’s commitment to shared value, resilient local supply, and community livelihoods.
Speaking at the event, the Nestlé Nigeria’s Managing Director and CEO, Wassim Elhusseini gave an insight of leadership perspective stating: “When capability improves, outcomes follow. This partnership expands our structured approach to productivity, quality, and sustainability.”
Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Mukhtar Idi Maiha, added: “This practical step unlocks Nigeria’s dairy potential, aligning with the National Dairy Policy for food security and economic growth.”
He commended Nestlé’s track record, saying the initiative will foster enabling policies.
However, the Nestlé team stated that post-MoU focuses on shifts to training frameworks, site preparation, and phased rollout with stakeholders.
“The centre will deliver mid-level skills training per national standards, scaling interventions for a resilient dairy sector,” it stated, adding the the partnership advances national development by supporting livelihoods, local production, and industry competitiveness.
