The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Project (L-PRES) Team has announced its intention to partner with the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) on breed improvement of Nigerian cattle and boost productivity and commercialisation in the livestock value chain.
According to the report posted on NABDA’s Facebook page, the National Project Coordinator of the L-PRES Team, Mr. Sanusi Abubakar, made this announcement during a recent visit to NABDA with his team.
The report indicated that Abubakar commended NABDA for its leading role in genetic improvement of Indigenous Nigerian cattle, biotechnological research and development, and environmental sustainability. He emphasised the importance of collaborating with NABDA to enhance the genetic potential of local Nigerian cattle.
The Director General/CEO of NABDA, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, welcomed the L-PRES team and expressed NABDA’s eagerness to partner with them to enhance the productivity and commercialisation of local Nigerian cattle.
Speaking further, Prof. Mustapha highlighted NABDA’s ongoing initiatives, aimed at improving livestock quality and productivity through biotechnology. These efforts are crucial in addressing poverty, hunger, disease threats, and ensuring environmental sustainability in Nigeria.
During the visit, Prof. Oyekanmi Nash, the Research Director of Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics in NABDA, presented the agency’s initiatives on genetic transformation of livestock through artificial insemination for milk and meat improvement across the country.
He said NABDA is developing a national cattle breeding programme for dairy cattle genetic improvement. Tagged the “Genomic Selection of Nigerian Dairy Cattle (GSNDC),” the overall goal of this flagship project is to develop genetic selection technologies for increasing the milk production of indigenous cattle.
“We have identified the Brazilian dairy breed (Girolando) as the most suitable dairy breed to crossbreed with Nigerian dairy breeds, and crossbreeding is already underway. This dairy improvement effort is supported by private sector milk collection and processing centres nationwide”, Nash added.
Discussions between L-PRES and NABDA focused on harmonisation of breeding objectives and national breeding goals, expertise development and support, among other important topics.
