Ranching in Nigeria : Security & Economic Diversification

punchng.com · Feb 23, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

Full Article

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu’s recent reaffirmation at the National Economic Council of his administration’s commitment to comprehensive livestock reforms could not have come at a better time. By directing Vice-President Kashim Shettima and the NEC to develop a ranching roadmap, tasking governors to embrace the policy, and selecting Kwara State as a pilot, the President has sent a clear signal that open grazing, an archaic, conflict-prone system, belongs to the past. Full implementation of modern ranching is now imperative if Nigeria is to end farmer–herder clashes, curb rural insecurity, ensure food security and diversify the economy away from oil. The human and economic costs of the status quo are staggering. Researchers from the University of Abuja estimate that more than 60,000 people have been killed across 22 states since 2001, with hundreds of thousands displaced, particularly in the Middle Belt. Fulani herders were classified as the third deadliest terrorist group by the Global Terrorism Index because of wanton killings associated with cattle herding and banditry. The conflict drivers are well known: shrinking pastures due to desertification and population pressure, poor agronomy, the spread of small arms, and the erosion of traditional dispute-resolution systems. Many wealthy cattle owners refuse to invest in settled, modern husbandry. Instead, they cling to a zero-cost nomadic model in which cattle routinely destroy crops, triggering cycles of retaliation. This must end. Ranching offers a structural solution. By confining livestock to designated, well-managed reserves, it eliminates routine contact between herders and farmers and shifts disputes from violence to legal and mediation channels. Settled operations are easier to police while the anonymity exploited by bandits and rustlers along grazing routes disappears. Ranching, therefore, is not just agricultural reform; it is national security policy. The economic case is equally compelling. Nigeria’s informal livestock system is subsistence-driven and low-yielding. Structured ranching converts it into a regulated, high-productivity industry through controlled feeding, selective breeding, artificial insemination, veterinary services and disease control. Animals gain weight faster, produce higher-quality meat and milk, and suffer less stress. The result is lower imports of meat and dairy, significant foreign-exchange savings and improved food security. Beyond primary production, ranching catalyses value chains. Crop residues become feed, adding income for farmers. Animal waste is converted to organic manure or biogas, cutting fertiliser costs and supporting circular agriculture. Around ranches, milk collection centres, meat-processing plants, leather tanneries and cold chains can emerge, driving rural industrialisation and boosting states’ internally generated revenue. Job creation would be substantial. Ranch management, veterinary services, feed production, processing, and security generate direct employment, while transportation, packaging, marketing, and finance create indirect jobs that can help combat youth unemployment. Related News Foreign investment in manufacturing plunges 54% FG moves to reform agric insurance architecture Nigeria sitting on $1.5tn stranded capital – PeacePro Crucially, ranching is bankable. Registered operations with land titles, production records and traceability attract credit and insurance far more easily than nomadic herding. Formalisation unlocks private capital, expands the tax base and integrates pastoralists into the financial system. With an estimated 22 million cattle, vast land resources and a youthful population, Nigeria can become a major beef and dairy producer if policy is deliberate and capital is mobilised. Global examples underline what is possible. Brazil runs more than 200 million cattle and generates about $123 billion annually, roughly 8.5 per cent of GDP, backed by genetics, feedlots and traceability that power global exports. Argentina earned $3.7 billion from beef and dairy in 2025 through its Pampas model and market diversification. Australia’s dairy and beef sector added $25.8 billion in 2023 revenue, and New Zealand exports $26 billion of dairy products yearly, demonstrating how pasture innovation, cooperatives and high-value products can dominate export markets. The United States shows the gains from scale and technology featuring mega-dairies, automation and precision genetics. Even arid states have succeeded: Saudi Arabia’s integrated desert dairies and Qatar’s rapid dairy self-sufficiency prove that climate is not destiny. Nigeria can replicate these successes. The 415 grazing reserves covering about six million hectares across 19 northern states, of which only 115 are developed, offer ready platforms for commercial ranches. The Federal Government should focus on enabling conditions such as infrastructure, technical support, extension services and credit guarantees. Direct state management has failed before; the collapse of the Mokwa Cattle Ranch after decades of mismanagement is a cautionary tale. States must allocate land transparently, provide clear titles and ensure fair compensation where necessary. Pastoral associations and farmers’ groups should be engaged through sustained sensitisation that frames ranching as empowerment, not coercion. Incentives, including improved breeds, veterinary kits, market linkages and affordable credit, can encourage voluntary settlement. Nomadic herders should be supported to transition into modern ranchers or integrated partners, gaining access to schools, healthcare, electricity and economic dignity. The livestock ministry’s role must be to facilitate, not be patronage-driven, while similar support should extend to poultry and fisheries to broaden reform. Full ranching implementation has strong potential to end deadly clashes, restore trust between communities, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, generate foreign-exchange earnings from beef and dairy exports, and ensure sustained food security. Above all, it would show that with vision, political will and private enterprise, Nigeria can turn one of its oldest sources of conflict into a foundation of national wealth.