Veterinary professionals from across Nigeria on Tuesday gathered in Abuja for the 2026 Veterinary Leadership Summit, a strategic forum aimed at repositioning the livestock sector as a key driver of food security, jobs and economic diversification.
The two-day summit, convened by the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) in partnership with GALVmed, comes at a time when rising climate pressures, animal disease outbreaks and weak service delivery systems continue to undermine livestock production nationwide.
Opening the summit, the Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Ishiyaku Mohammed, said veterinarians occupy a central place in the Federal Government’s economic and food security agenda.
He told participants that the success of national efforts on food security, wealth creation and employment generation depends largely on how effectively veterinary professionals deploy their expertise across the livestock value chain.
“The responsibility rests squarely on your shoulders,” Mohammed said, noting that no livestock development policy can succeed without strong veterinary leadership and science-driven interventions.
He explained that the establishment of a separate Ministry of Livestock Development by the Tinubu administration was designed to confront emerging threats to the sector, including climate change, desertification, flooding, rising temperatures and increased competition over natural resources.
According to him, these pressures are already altering livestock production systems and demand coordinated, professional responses to prevent further economic losses.
Mohammed disclosed that the Federal Government has set a target to grow the livestock sector’s contribution to the economy from about $32 billion to $74 billion by 2035, warning that the ambition would remain elusive if preventable animal diseases and inefficient production systems persist.
He assured that the government would continue to work closely with professional bodies to ensure that policies are informed by expert knowledge and aligned with global best practices.
In his welcome address, NVMA President, Dr. Moses Arokoyo, described the summit as part of a broader effort to reposition the veterinary profession for greater national relevance.
He said the annual leadership summit was structured to promote inclusiveness, with deliberate attention to empowering women and young professionals across all regions to contribute meaningfully to animal health outcomes.
Dr. Arokoyo expressed optimism that the deliberations would strengthen livestock systems in Nigeria and reinforce the country’s role in global animal health initiatives.
Despite its potential, he noted that the livestock sub-sector continues to face high disease burden, insecurity, climate stress, weak service delivery and unequal access to veterinary services, challenges that have limited productivity and investment.
“These issues are interconnected and require collective action from professionals and policymakers,” he said.
Stakeholders from across the livestock industry echoed the call for collaboration. In goodwill messages, representatives of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) stressed the need for unity within the profession to support the Federal Government’s livestock reform agenda.
Representing the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, the Chairperson of COCVADION and veteran veterinarian, Dr. Lami Lombin, commended the leadership of Dr. Arokoyo and revealed that work is underway to harmonise the Veterinary Surgeons Act with the regulation of para-animal health professionals through proposed legislation.
She said the move would strengthen professional standards and improve service delivery across the sector.
Dr. Lombin challenged veterinarians to support one another across disciplines and uphold the integrity of the profession, stressing that unity remains critical at a time of sweeping sector reforms.
On the global dimension of animal health, GALVmed’s Business Development and Engagement Manager, Thembinkosi Ramuthivheli, alongside Associate Director for Outreach and Partnerships, Edith Moroti, called on Nigerian veterinarians to intensify efforts to reduce the country’s animal disease burden.
They stressed that stronger collaboration among professionals would accelerate growth and attract investment into the livestock industry.
In a strong endorsement of continuity, President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, Professor Matthew Adamu, urged members to support Dr. Arokoyo for another term, describing his leadership over the past two years as transformative.
He called on NVMA state chapters to work more closely with the national leadership to consolidate recent gains and strengthen the profession.
As discussions continue at the summit, expectations are high that its outcomes will translate into concrete actions, positioning the livestock sector as a resilient pillar of Nigeria’s food security and economic diversification strategy.
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