Strengthening the Nigerian dairy sector through CODUNDSKILL

Dairy, USDA

The Nigerian dairy sector still faces multiple challenges that hamper productivity across the value chain, resulting in an inadequate supply of dairy products in the market from the local industry. Consequently, Nigeria depends heavily on imports to meet the huge demand for dairy products. According to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, the demand for milk production in 2024 was 1.7 billion liters (3.86 billion pounds), yet only 600 million (1.36 billion pounds) are produced nationally.

To address those challenges and create a path forward for the dairy industry, Mr. Dianabasi Akpainyang, the Executive Director of CODARAN (the Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria), which represents the interest of indigenous commercial dairy processors, ranch operators, and small-, medium,- and large-scale dairy farmers, is designing and implementing the Dairy Skill Development in Nigeria Programme (CODUNDSKILL) in collaboration with the University of Abuja. This ongoing program, which started in October 2024, seeks to train at least 50 dairy industry operators per quarter on dairy business management through a series of quarterly dairy development webinars.

These webinars focus on training and developing skilled manpower in the various segments of the dairy value chain using the expertise of the Centre for Dairy Studies of the University of Abuja, Nigeria. In this program, Mr. Akpainyang is blending his training on U.S. beef and dairy management from participation in the 2022 Cochran Fellowship Program with the national context of Nigeria to strengthen the dairy sector and help it achieve self-sufficiency.