The Federal Government has unveiled a solar-powered veterinary cold chain facility with capacity to store 40 million doses of vaccines, as part of efforts to tackle inadequate vaccine supply and poor storage across Nigeria’s livestock sector.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, inaugurated the facility in Lagos, saying it was one of six cold chain facilities being constructed under the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) across the country.
Maiha said four of the six facilities had been completed, with three already commissioned, adding that the Lagos facility would serve the entire South-West region.
He said the facility was designed to provide adequate storage for vaccines and biological reagents for government and private-sector users, stressing that animal health remained a critical component of livestock development.
According to him, proper vaccine storage would help improve animal health, productivity and resilience across the livestock value chain.
The minister said L-PRES had also constructed 21 veterinary hospitals and about 50 clinics nationwide, in addition to ambulatory veterinary services, milk collection centres and boreholes.
He said the interventions were designed to address critical gaps in animal health, productivity, commercialisation and resilience in the livestock sector.
Maiha added that the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development had further strengthened government’s efforts to develop the sector.
The National Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Dr Sanusi Abubakar, said the Lagos facility would be operated under a public-private partnership arrangement to ensure its sustainability.
Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on Livestock Development, Mr Wale Raji, identified inadequate vaccine supply and poor storage as longstanding challenges affecting the livestock industry.
Raji said improper storage could reduce vaccine potency and lead to vaccines reaching end-users with reduced effectiveness or expired shelf life.
He said the new facility would address gaps in vaccine supply and quality while supporting improved productivity in the livestock sector.
“This facility is established to address inadequacy of supply, quality of vaccines and enhance productivity in the livestock sector,” he said.
Raji noted that the facility would serve Lagos and other states in the South-West, describing the region as an important hub for poultry, pig and other livestock production.
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Agriculture and Food Systems, Dr Oluwarotimi Fashola, said the facility was particularly significant to Lagos and the South-West because of the region’s large livestock population.
Fashola said the 40 million-dose capacity facility would provide a centralised system for storing and distributing veterinary vaccines to farmers across the region.
He said access to the facility would be facilitated through collaboration among the Federal Government, Lagos State Government and private-sector operators.
According to him, the facility’s solar-powered system would ensure uninterrupted refrigeration while reducing dependence on diesel and petrol.
READ ALSO: SON Warns Cosmetics Makers Against Prohibited Ingredients, Unsafe Products
Nigeria @66th: TGF Calls for Leaner Government, Competence-Based Appointments
He added that the tripartite management structure involving the Federal Government, state government and private sector would further support the long-term sustainability of the facility.
The Newsmen reports that the facility was established under L-PRES to strengthen animal health and improve productivity, commercialisation and resilience across Nigeria’s livestock value chain.
About The Author
