Nigeria’s livestock sector, contributing over 5% to the nation’s GDP, is central to the livelihoods of millions.
Yet, persistent challenges—ranging from inefficient grazing systems and disease outbreaks to market inaccessibility and frequent conflicts—continue to hamper its full potential. While emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT) offer powerful solutions, their adoption across the livestock value chain remains limited.
In response, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, in partnership with AI Collective has launched Hack4Livestock—a national hackathon designed to drive innovation and unlock tech-enabled transformation in Nigeria’s livestock sector.
As part of its strategic rollout, the Hack4Livestock organising team, including Willie Ignatius, Managing Director, Publica AI; Prof. Demo Kalla, Member, Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee; and Mrs. Maryam Abdullahi, Project Manager, National Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), recently visited two key stakeholders to deepen sectoral collaboration.
At the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN), Prof. Kalla emphasized the presidential focus on livestock reform and urged the Council to promote the hackathon across its networks. “The President’s heartbeat is on livestock,” he noted, highlighting the initiative’s goal of attracting young, talented Nigerians with practical ideas for transforming the sector.
He also requested VCN’s endorsement and participation in the closing ceremony, describing the program as a government-private sector-academia collaboration—one in which VCN is the first professional body engaged.
Credit: dailypost.ng
