Smart Agriculture: Jigawa, Argentina Strengthen Livestock Ties as Nigeria Advances Alfalfa‑Led Export Strategy
In line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places agriculture at the centre of food security, economic diversification, and job creation, Nigeria is accelerating coordinated reforms to modernise its livestock sector through innovation, investment, and global partnerships.
This national push has been reinforced by the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, signalling a renewed policy focus on animal nutrition, feed systems, productivity enhancement, and export-oriented value chains.
Building on this momentum, the Jigawa State Government, under the leadership of Umar Namadi, is translating federal livestock reforms into subnational action through strategic partnerships aligned with the Jigawa State Agricultural Transformation Policy. A major milestone in this effort is the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Jigawa State Government and El‑Meena Farms Ltd, which launched the Jigawa Alfalfa Value Chain Development Initiative.
The initiative is designed as a phased programme, beginning with a 1,000-hectare pilot and scaling to 100,000 hectares over ten years, positioning Jigawa as a leading hub for livestock feed production and agro-exports in Nigeria and the wider West African sub-region.
To ensure evidence-based execution and learn from proven global models, Governor Namadi recently led a high-level Nigerian delegation on a technical and investment engagement to Córdoba Province, Argentina—one of the world’s most advanced centres for research-driven agriculture, smart irrigation, mechanisation, and agro-industrial development. Argentina is currently the world’s second-largest producer of alfalfa, with Córdoba serving as its largest production hub.
The delegation brought together a broad ecosystem of public and private stakeholders, including the Jigawa State Government, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) through its Regional Digital Innovation and Investment Programme (RegDIIP), El-Meena Farms Ltd, Jigawa El-Meena Farms (JEFs) as the project’s Special Purpose Vehicle, Nigeria Export‑Import Bank (NEXIM), Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Jaiz Bank, Saudi Arabia’s Alkhorayef Group, and Cape Mano Agriculture.
During the visit, the delegation toured major forage processing and animal nutrition facilities, including Megafardos del Norte, Nafosa, Pellfood, and Biofarma S.A., gaining first-hand exposure to large-scale alfalfa production, feed processing, livestock nutrition systems, and export logistics.
The mission also featured a courtesy visit to the Governor of Córdoba Province, culminating in the signing of an additional MoU between Jigawa State and the Province of Córdoba. The agreement formalises cooperation in livestock development, sustainable alfalfa production, irrigation innovation, applied research, and agro-industrial value chains.
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Facilitated by NITDA under RegDIIP, the Argentina engagement demonstrates how technology, applied research, and international partnerships can unlock regional competitive advantage. Insights from NITDA’s innovation engagements, including exposure under the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme (MIT-REAP), further validate alfalfa as a high-impact feed input capable of improving livestock productivity, reducing feed shortages, easing farmer–herder tensions, and supporting export-driven systems.
Overall, the Córdoba mission represents Renewed Hope in action—combining federal policy direction, innovation-led coordination, subnational execution, and structured private-sector and financial participation to drive productivity, create jobs, and position Nigeria competitively in global agro-export markets.
It will be recalled that the Jigawa State Government and El-Meena Farms Ltd last year signed a landmark MoU to develop Nigeria’s largest fodder export corridor under the Jigawa Alfalfa Value Chain Development Project.
The $540 million public-private partnership targets the cultivation of 100,000 hectares of premium alfalfa, with projected annual export revenues estimated between $440 million and $540 million. Saudi Arabia’s Alkhorayef Group has been formally selected as the preferred technical partner for irrigation infrastructure.
Governor Namadi, who described the project as a cornerstone of his administration’s economic agenda, said it represents an economic bridge between Nigeria and the Middle East.
“By combining Jigawa’s vast land resources with El-Meena’s operational expertise and Saudi Arabia’s superior irrigation technology, we are building a secure, high-value export corridor that aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” the governor stated at the MoU signing ceremony in Dutse.
The project is structured around the NEXIM Bank–Saudi EXIM Bank export-financing window, with an initial $5 million capital outlay earmarked for advanced centre-pivot irrigation systems for the 1,000-hectare pilot phase.
Through Capemano Consulting, its Nigerian representative, Alkhorayef Group will deploy world-class irrigation technology to ensure year-round, high-yield production targeting Gulf Cooperation Council markets, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar—regions with growing demand for water-efficient, high-protein livestock feed.
The MoU was signed following a high-level visit led by Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, with endorsements from key stakeholders including NEXIM, Jaiz Bank, MOFI, the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, and other strategic institutions.
Providing technical insight, Jigawa State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Professor Salim Mohammed, described alfalfa as a transformative forage crop capable of boosting livestock productivity, generating mass employment, and expanding Nigeria’s export earnings.
The project is expected to scale from a 1,000-hectare pilot to a 100,000-hectare mega-estate, with projected annual output of about 2.0 million metric tonnes of alfalfa, creating over 100,000 direct jobs and integrating inclusive out-grower schemes for pastoralists.
By PRNigeria
