Govt, DBN, World Bank Team Up For North-East Farmers, Bosting Livestock Production
Elegbede Abiodun
The program to benefit no fewer than 300 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN) and its subsidiary company, Impact Credit Guarantee Limited (ICGL), in collaboration with strategic partners, including the World Bank, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development have boosted support for livestock-focused Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the North-East through capacity building, access to access to finance aimed at enhancing productivity within the livestock value chain.
L-R; Representative of the MD/CEO; Dr. Tony Okpanachi, DBN Head Business Development; Ayodele Ojosipe, Honourable Minister Livestock Development; Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, L-PRES National Project Coordinator; Dr. Sanusi Abubakar and DBN Head, Project Implementation Unit; Mrs. Ekene Ezeigwe at the SME Regional Capacity Building Initiative held recently in Yola, Adamawa State.
DBN and its strategic partners, in continuation of the nationwide regional DBN-SME/PFI Capacity Building Training programme across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria, were in Yola, Adamawa State capital, on Wednesday 12th, February 2026, to train entrepreneurs in the livestock sector, including Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) within the North-East region.
The capacity-building is an empowerment initiative under the World Bank-funded Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) programme, aimed at strengthening the PFIs’ understanding of the dynamics of the livestock value-chain as a prelude to designing tailored funding for enterprises within the livestock business, including a broader objective of increasing SME access to finance, tools and resources for business resilience and long-term growth and sustainability.
The training, which kicked off last week in Enugu and benefitted many SMEs in the livestock sector and PFIs in the South-East geo-political region, also lived up to its billing in Yola, drawing participants within the SME ecosystem, PFIs, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, L-PRES National Coordinating Office, State Coordinating Offices, and DBN/ICGL officials.
While speaking at the event, Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, described the DBN-LPRES strategy for enterprises in the nation’s livestock sector as timely, asserting that bringing together the PFIs, farmers and livestock producers was a significant step that would further stimulate the growth of the sector.
He stated that limited access to affordable financing remained a major setback to the growth of Nigeria’s livestock sector, constraining productivity, value addition, and resilience. According to him, the demand for collateral and the stringent conditions attached to obtaining credit from the traditional financial institutions were reasons most enterprises in the livestock sector could not access funds to grow and scale.
“I think we need to shift from that perspective and what we have seen here today is a definite move away from the normal to addressing the uniqueness of the livestock sector,” Maiha said, adding, “We need to settle down with farmers, stay together with our producers and understand the nature of the business, the dynamics of the sector and to be able to have access to credit facilities – that is the way to go.”
The Minister emphasised the need to close the gap between survival and opportunities within the livestock sector, asserting that there were huge opportunities in the livestock sector today, while noting further that the lingering poor perception about banking requirements must be changed to ensure inclusion for more SME owners.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Development Bank of Nigeria, Dr Tony Okpanach, said in his speech that the regional training programme aimed to improve access to finance and boost institutional capacity for livestock value chain operators by bringing the DBN PFIs and SMEs together under the same roof.
Represented by the Head of Business Development, Ayodele Ojosipe, he added that the training programme, which also served as a veritable platform for engagement, enabled banks and livestock enterprises to identify risks associated with livestock lending and jointly develop solutions and tailored financial products.
Okpananchi explained that DBN, as a wholesome development Bank de-risks transactions through its subsidiary, Impact Credit Guarantee Limited (ICGL), which provides guarantees to support lending to livestock businesses and MSMEs generally.
The DBN-SME/PFI Capacity Building Training programme across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria is a game-changer for SMEs in the livestock value-chain. The capacity building intervention offers an end-to-end financing solution, including a massive site visit that allows banks to observe livestock farming practices and sustainable production methods first-hand,” he further affirmed.
Also speaking, Value Chain Consultant, LPRES Project, Heather-Ronke Akanni, disclosed that the programme was a six-year World Bank-supported initiative scheduled to end in 2028. She said the project was being implemented in 20 participating states and focuses on six key livestock value chains, including poultry, piggery, sheep, goat, dairy, hides and skins.
“SMEs must meet specific requirements to access loans, hence the need for capacity-building training on bridging capacity gaps in agribusiness financing. This training is aimed at preparing the beneficiaries, changing their mindset and emphasising the importance of financial readiness,” she stated.
She disclosed further that the L-PRES project, currently at its Mid-Term Review (MTR) stage, was designed to strengthen productivity and resilience across the livestock sector, adding that one of the major components of the project is the prevention of herders and farmers’ conflict, alongside promoting commercialisation and marketing linkages.
Akanni also stated that the initiative was conceived to support and complement the Federal Government’s efforts, particularly the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development as part of the broader strategy to drive national economic growth through non-oil products.
A participant, Cicilia Dauda, commended DBN/ICGL, the World Bank, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and other key partners for putting the capacity-building training together, affirming that the empowerment was crucial for livestock producers to grow and scale their businesses.
She said the training guided value chain development and, most importantly, equipped farmers with knowledge on how to access bank loans to expand their businesses.
“Access to finance will enable us, livestock operators, to acquire needed equipment such as milk storage and processing facilities, overcome installation challenges, and scale up production, including expansion into ventures such as frozen poultry products,” Dauda added.
The regional DBN-SME/PFI Capacity Building Training programne in Adamawa State, North-East underscored DBN’s unwavering commitment to national efforts to double access to finance, strengthen institutional capacity and accelerate growth and business resilience for businesses in Nigeria’s livestock value chain.
The nationwide programme is projected to benefit no fewer than 200 Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) and 300 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who are expected to attend the sessions in their respective geo-political zones. The training is scheduled to be held across Enugu (South-East), Adamawa (North-East), Ondo (South-West/South-South), Kano (North-West), and Kogi (North-Central), respectively.
