Nigeria’s beekeeping sector has received a major boost on World Bee Day as the Youth for Apiculture Initiative (YFAI) has called on the Federal Government to officially recognize apiculture as a strategic industry by creating a Department of Apiculture and a National Apiculture Board.
At a commemorative event in Abuja supported for the first time by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, YFAI’s Director-General, Yusuf Adeyemo (FSM), made a passionate appeal for greater policy focus, investment, and infrastructure development to support beekeepers across the country—especially youth and rural entrepreneurs.
“Apiculture is not just about honey—it is about economic inclusion, food security, environmental health, and job creation,” Adeyemo declared. “With coordinated government support, we can turn Nigeria into a continental leader in the honey and pollination industry.”
The event was attended by senior government officials, including the Honourable Minister and Permanent Secretary of the Livestock Ministry, Directors from NAFDAC and RMRDC, representatives from the Great Green Wall Authority, and private sector stakeholders.
Adeyemo also advocated for mobile honey testing labs in partnership with NAFDAC to certify Nigerian honey for international markets. In addition, he proposed the development of state-level apiary estates to serve as production hubs and innovation centers for beekeepers.
YFAI’s vision reflects a growing awareness of apiculture’s strategic potential. In Africa, countries like Ethiopia have already institutionalized beekeeping, with significant returns in export earnings and rural development.
“This year marks a turning point,” said Adeyemo. “It’s the first time in YFAI’s eight-year history that we’ve celebrated World Bee Day with full government support. The momentum is here. Now is the time to act.”
World Bee Day 2025 was not just a celebration—it was a rallying cry for a more structured and better-funded beekeeping ecosystem in Nigeria, as advocates push to elevate bees from the margins of agriculture to the center of national development planning.
