To help the Nigerian dairy industry, the Value4Dairy Consortium, headed by FrieslandCampina, has received a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This news was released in a statement on Monday by Ore Famurewa, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs at FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC.
According to Famurewa, the award will fund half of the Consortium’s most recent initiative, which intends to improve the sustainability and productivity of Nigeria’s dairy sector.
According to the Consortium’s plan, three dairy zones that are self-sufficient will be established in Oyo, Osun, and Abuja.
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With plans to eventually include 40,000 milk producers, these zones will act as centers for smallholder and pastoralists, providing training and assistance to 10,000 of them.
Each dairy zone will feature warehouses, outlets with dairy farming inputs, and two milk collection points, facilitating the processing of aggregated milk into nutritious dairy products by FrieslandCampina WAMCO.
The project aims to empower local farmers by providing access to advancements in feed, breeding, sustainable farming practices, and market routes, leading to increased milk production at lower costs.
Beyond dairy transformation, the program seeks to contribute to food security, higher farmer incomes, improved nutrition, reduced conflicts between herders and farmers, enhanced water access, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
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Famurewa emphasized the gender-intentional nature of the program, incorporating interventions to empower women in activities and additional income generation.
Jeroen Elfers, Global Dairy Development Director at FrieslandCampina, expressed the company’s commitment to building resilient local dairy value chains and welcomed the Gates Foundation grant as a means to accelerate the project.
Roger Adou, Managing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO, highlighted the Consortium’s efforts in creating the largest dairy value chain in South-West Nigeria. The project aims to further empower local farmers, increase milk production, and contribute to the nation’s agricultural prosperity.
