“The past is where you learned the lesson. The future is where you apply it”. — Unknown
After successfully leveraging World Bank financing for crop agriculture in 1970s, Nigeria turned its attention to livestock. With an estimated 10 million beef cattle, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) partnered with the World Bank to launch its first Bank-financed livestock initiative—the First Livestock Development Project (FLDP). Appraised in 1972, it became effective in 1976, ran for eight years, and closed in 1983
A central component of the FLDP was the promotion of government-owned parastatal and private-sector breeding ranches. Two ranches were established in the North—and managed by the Borno and Bauchi State Livestock Companies—while five ranches were developed in the Western States. The northern ranches focused on indigenous cattle breeds, whereas exotic N’Dama cattle were imported for the western ranches. Although appraisal projections envisaged the importation of 6,500 N’Dama cattle, only 4,991 were eventually imported. The flagship ranch, Fashola Stock Farm in Oyo State, was managed by the government-owned Western Livestock Company, while the remaining western ranches were privately owned.
According to the Project Completion Report (PCR, 1985), the ranch component of the FLDP failed overall. All seven ranches recorded negative economic rates of return (ERR), and incremental meat production reached only 22% of appraisal estimates. The principal causes of failure were poor management and political interference.
What ultimately became of the N’Dama cattle on the western ranches is reminiscent of the playful Fulani folklore about the herder who left his cattle with the Tiv—and hence the forever-teasing remark: “Munchi”.
Nevertheless, in line with World Bank practice—and because other components, notably smallholder credit, performed relatively well—FGN and the Bank agreed on a successor project, the Second Livestock Development Project.
Why N’Dama Cattle?
The N’Dama breed, found mainly in West and Central Africa, thrives in tsetse-infested environments and is well known for its tolerance to trypanosomosis—a tsetse-borne disease that also causes sleeping sickness in humans. Although Nigeria already had trypanotolerant breeds such as Keteku and Muturu, the exotic N’Dama was preferred under the FLDP because it was considered more productive under ranch conditions.
Southern Nigeria’s humid ecology makes disease pressure permanent rather than seasonal. High rainfall, heat, and dense vegetation sustain tsetse flies, ticks, and mosquitoes, exposing livestock to continuous infection and high production costs. While tsetse control, ecological change, and veterinary advances have made cattle rearing possible in the humid zone, success still depends on adapted breeds, improved housing, vector control, biosecurity, and continuous animal health services—not emergency treatments.
The SLDP Credit Breakthrough
The Second Livestock Development Project (SLDP, 1986–1995) marked a strategic shift. Building on the FLDP’s successful credit component, it introduced an N’Dama credit scheme for southern farmers, under which beneficiaries were to receive up to 10 N’Dama heifers and a bull, supplied by the Western Livestock Company (WLC). The scheme, however, quickly ran into difficulty due to severe shortages of N’Dama cattle in Nigeria. At appraisal, WLC was expected to supply 2,849 female N’Dama cattle, complemented by imports of an additional 1,250 head. In reality, WLC delivered only 91 animals.
To cover the shortfall, planned imports were increased. However, delays in resolving import logistics coincided with substantial devaluation of the Naira. By 1990, the landed cost of imported N’Dama cattle had risen to about ₦7,000 per head—more than double the price of local cattle. Since selling at affordable prices would have required heavy subsidies, the decision was taken to import only 1,000 head from Senegal to establish two nucleus herds-ranches at Adada in Enugu State and Fashola in Oyo State for breeding and progeny distribution. The ranches were managed by National Livestock development Project (NLPD)-FGN Parastatal.
Although initial mortality was high due to acclimatization stress, most of the imported animals—mainly in-calf heifers—were eventually distributed to farmers under a credit scheme financed by the Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Bank. Beneficiaries signed agreements to participate in an open-nucleus breeding system, serving as outbreeders to supply breeding N’Dama cattle to other farmers. This proved to be one of the most successful components of the Second Livestock Development Project.
Community–Pastoralist Partnerships
A key spin-off was the partnership between N’Dama credit beneficiaries and settled pastoralists in southern Nigeria. Some beneficiaries entrusted their cattle to Fulani herders under simple management agreements. This scalable community–pastoralist model worked—and explains the continued presence of N’Dama cattle and their crosses in agropastoral clusters around Adada in Enugu State, and Fashola and Isiyen in Oyo State—clear evidence of the lasting impact of the credit-based nucleus breeding approach.
Silvopastoral Systems: The Next Frontier
Since the end of the SLDP, silvopastoral systems have advanced significantly. They offer a scalable pathway by integrating trypanotolerant cattle into large oil palm and rubber plantations. With widely spaced trees providing shade while allowing grass to thrive, this climate-smart system boosts soil fertility, supports biodiversity, and lifts overall farm productivity.
Conclusion
The experience of the N’Dama ranches indicates that the challenges encountered in Western Nigeria were largely attributable to weaknesses in governance and management, rather than to breed suitability or ecological constraints. Trypanotolerant cattle and their crosses remain well suited to the humid zone, and the credit-based, farmer- and community-linked breeding approach demonstrates the potential effectiveness of decentralized production systems.
Going forward, a strategic shift is required from state-managed ranching models toward privately operated trypanotolerant cattle enterprises. These should be developed through structured partnerships with communities, agropastoralists, and within silvopastoral production systems, and supported by enhanced animal health services.
In Nigeria’s humid zone, sustainable cattle transformation is best achieved through ecology-appropriate breeds and community-centred production models, rather than through the replication of savannah ranching systems or European dairy farm models.
A World Bank–style Third Livestock Development Project (TLDP) would provide an ideal platform to apply these hard-earned lessons and transform Nigeria’s livestock sector.
