By Agrobroadcast Team
Stakeholders in Sokoto’s livestock sector have begun discussions aimed at strengthening development priorities and addressing possible risks to effective project delivery, following an engagement organised by the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES).
The stakeholder meeting, held on Monday in Sokoto State, was part of L-PRES’ efforts to improve implementation outcomes and ensure broad-based input into its operations. Speaking to journalists, the State Project Coordinator, Mr. Sirajo Abubakar, said the engagement aligned with the project’s mandate to deepen collaboration with key actors across the livestock value chain.
According to Abubakar, contributions from stakeholders would help identify additional intervention areas and determine practical measures required to achieve the project’s goals.
He explained that L-PRES is a six-year World Bank–supported initiative designed to improve productivity, commercialisation and resilience in selected livestock value chains, while also strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to respond to eligible crises and emergencies.
Abubakar stressed that engagement with stakeholders at the field level remains essential to advancing the project’s objectives and enhancing overall impact. He noted that the Sokoto State Government, under Governor Ahmed Aliyu, continues to place agriculture at the centre of its nine-point SMART agenda.
Commending the L-PRES national office for initiating the meeting, Abubakar described the engagement as timely and urged participants to make meaningful contributions towards developing a practical and effective action plan.
He also acknowledged the sustained support of the state government for the project.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of Global Peace Development, Mr. Ebruke Esike, said the engagement was intended to refine L-PRES operational procedures and strengthen implementation planning.
Esike explained that the initiative seeks to involve stakeholders in identifying appropriate measures for storage, processing and marketing logistics, while also developing grievance redress mechanisms and clear procedures for stakeholder engagement throughout the project lifecycle, including monitoring, feedback and performance assessment.
He added that data would be collected from 12 states across the country’s geo-political zones to produce a comprehensive stakeholder engagement framework for L-PRES and similar organisations.
According to him, the framework would help boost investment in livestock production and support economic growth at both state and national levels.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Sokoto State Butchers Association, Malam Abdullahi Mujinyawa, praised L-PRES for convening the meeting, noting that it would provide a platform to address long-standing challenges confronting players in the livestock sector.