The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, has disclosed that the ministry is presently working on the animal identification and traceability system, whereby Nigerian red meat industry can gain access to international markets.
The minister also praised ABIS Group for launching a digital marketplace for livestock products, adding that they are not only creating more jobs but also making protein more accessible to people through technology.
The minister who was represented by Abdulkareem Durosinlorun, said once the identification and traceability system is fully in place, it will make it easier for Nigerian red meat and other animal protein products to be exported.
He disclosed further that the federal government is developing policies to ensure that breeding stock and animal feed are more readily available for livestock producers.
The minister who stated this during the launch of the ABIS Digital Market Place in Abuja, said through the group’s latest innovation, people no longer have to go to the market physically as they can buy protein online.
He said the innovation brings significant development to the livestock sector as it creates jobs, promotes transparency and allows buyers to see exactly what they are purchasing.
Earlier in his address, the Co-founder of ABIS Group, Iliyasu Gashinbaki, said over the years, the group has built an integrated agribusiness and livestock ecosystem founded on quality, innovation and long-term investment.
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According to him, the company’s Lagos processing hub currently processes 220 cattle and 3000 poultry birds daily, while the Abuja Mega Livestock Processing Facility which will soon be commissioned, is designed to process 1000 cattle, 3000 small ruminants and 600 tonnes of poultry daily.
“Beyond Abuja, we are developing ultra-modern processing hubs in Plateau, Sokoto and Edo states with varying capacity to process 200-500 cattle, 500-1000 small ruminants and 400 tonnes of poultry daily, making us the largest integrated livestock processing conglomerate in Africa,” the Co-founder stated.
He said the newly launched ABIS Digital Marketplace platform is designed to modernise Nigeria’s protein supply chain using technology to solve the chronic inefficiencies that plague livestock, meat, seafood and poultry markets in Nigeria.
In his message to the participants, ABIS Founder and Chairman, Emmanuel Nelson Usman said the Digital Marketplace represents a new national infrastructure for trust, traceability, efficiency, and inclusion; connecting producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and consumers within a single technology-driven ecosystem that is redefining how Nigeria produces, trades, and consumes animal protein.
“This is far more than a technology application. It is the foundation of a safer, smarter, and more transparent protein ecosystem driving full-spectrum digitisation across the livestock value chain to deliver safe, ethically sourced, hygienically processed, and fully traceable animal protein to consumers while strengthening public health, food safety, market access, and producer prosperity,” he said.
