The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Programme (L-PRES), in partnership with the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) and the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, has commenced a five-day Livestock Accelerator and Mentorship Programme (LAMP) in Enugu to equip livestock entrepreneurs with the skills required to access finance and expand their businesses.
The programme brings together selected livestock Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) from Enugu and Ebonyi states, with a focus on strengthening businesses across the South-East livestock value chain through practical training, mentorship and business support.
Speaking with journalists in Enugu on Monday during the first day of the training, the Enugu State Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Dr. Ifeyinwa Nnajieze, described the initiative as a significant intervention for livestock farmers, saying it would equip beneficiaries with both the knowledge and financial access required to grow their enterprises.
Nnajieze said Enugu State had remained at the forefront of livestock development under the administration of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, noting that the state had continued to support the implementation of L-PRES interventions.
She said the choice of Enugu as the host state for the South-East programme underscored its growing importance in the region’s livestock sector.
Nnajieze cited the Integrated Livestock Development Centre at Ubahu, veterinary services, farmer training and other interventions as part of the state’s efforts to improve livestock production.
According to her, more than 15,000 livestock farmers across the pig, poultry, cattle, goat and sheep value chains had been profiled in the state.
She added that selected farmers, academics, veterinary professionals and extension workers had also received training in areas including artificial insemination, animal husbandry, business development and One Health.
Nnajieze said LAMP would complement those interventions by giving selected livestock MSMEs the practical business knowledge required to access funding and scale their operations.
FG: Finance Alone Not Enough
In his address, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, represented by the Director of Livestock, Dr. Adedoye Adeniyi, said the Federal Government remained committed to increasing productivity, commercialisation and resilience in the livestock sector.
Maiha said access to finance was critical to the growth of livestock enterprises but stressed that farmers also needed the appropriate knowledge and business structures to take advantage of available funding opportunities.
He said LAMP would provide participants with practical business knowledge and mentorship to strengthen their enterprises and contribute to the development of the livestock value chain.
The minister urged beneficiaries to take the training seriously and apply the knowledge acquired to their businesses.
Adeniyi also called on state governments to expand the programme’s benefits to livestock farmers at the grassroots, noting that the capacity-building initiative could only accommodate a limited number of participants.
“States need to do more because this training can only reach a certain number of people. The knowledge needs to be taken to the local government areas so that more livestock businesses can understand what they need to put in place to access credit,” he said.
“Many operators are still confused about the process. State governments should therefore cascade this knowledge to more MSMEs across their various local government areas.”
LAMP Offers Six-Month Mentorship
Also speaking, the Value Chain Consultant at the L-PRES National Project Office, Hedarun Kairkone, described LAMP as an additional intervention designed to address one of the major challenges confronting livestock businesses—access to finance.
Kairkone said the programme builds on an earlier regional capacity-building initiative, with participants now receiving mentoring and coaching for six months to help them apply what they have learnt to their businesses.
“The LAMP programme is a step further in the intervention for SMEs. Access to finance has been a major challenge for livestock farmers. This programme will give them deeper knowledge on accessing finance, managing their businesses and scaling up,” she said.
“They will also receive mentoring and coaching for six months. Our goal is to ensure that what they have learnt is applied to their businesses so that they can expand, become independent and access more finance on their own.”
DBN: We Want Bankable Businesses
The Development Bank of Nigeria said its objective was to help participating livestock MSMEs become stronger, investable and bankable enough to attract financing from financial institutions.
The Lead of the Project Implementation Unit at DBN, Mrs. Ekene Ezigwe, said the bank’s involvement was aimed at ensuring that livestock businesses understood and met the requirements needed to secure sustainable financing.
“Our vision is to have strong, investable and bankable MSMEs at the end of the six-month programme. We want livestock farmers to be able to walk into a bank with proper documentation and provide the evidence required to access funds,” Ezigwe said.
“Grant is limited and not sustainable. We want to build businesses that can access finance, use it to grow and repay it. That will create stronger businesses and a stronger livestock sector.”
Ezigwe disclosed that the interest rate on loans available under the programme could be as high as 16 per cent for MSMEs, describing the rate as competitive when compared with many commercial lending options.
She added that the training would also help financial institutions better understand the seasonal nature of livestock businesses and assess farmers based on their cash-flow patterns.
Ebonyi Farmers Target Documentation Gaps
The Ebonyi State Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Julius Victor, said 10 farmers from the state were participating in the LAMP training.
Victor said the programme would help beneficiaries address gaps identified during earlier capacity-building exercises, particularly in the area of proper business documentation.
He said adequate documentation would position the farmers to access loans from DBN, L-PRES and other financial institutions.
Victor also commended Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, for his support for livestock development, noting that the state had provided ₦150 million in counterpart funding to commence the L-PRES project.
He said the contribution had placed Ebonyi among the leading participating states in the L-PRES programme, which is being implemented across 20 states.
According to him, the Ebonyi State Government had also developed the Ezza-Mgbo Integrated Ranch, with facilities covering different livestock value chains.
“The LAMP programme is geared towards putting into practical use the things the farmers were taught previously. Those who do not have the required documentation will be shown how to generate them,” Victor said.
“This will make them ready to access loans, not only from the L-PRES/DBN programme but also from other financial institutions. I advise the beneficiaries to take the training seriously and make themselves available mentally, emotionally and physically throughout the programme.”
The five-day training in Enugu is expected to combine practical business training, mentoring and financing support to strengthen participating livestock MSMEs, improve their readiness for credit and create employment opportunities within their communities.
The organisers said the ultimate impact of the intervention would depend on the beneficiaries’ ability to apply the knowledge acquired, utilise available financing opportunities, expand production and contribute to food security and economic growth across the region.
