Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) and the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) have commenced a five-day Livestock Accelerator and Mentorship Programme (LAMP) for selected livestock farmers in Enugu and Ebonyi states, with focus on improving access to finance and building sustainable businesses.
The programme, which began on Monday , August 31,2026, in Enugu, is the second phase of the L-PRES capacity-building initiative and focuses on business management, financial literacy, productivity, documentation and access to credit.
The Director and Project Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr Adeniyi Adedoyin, said the initiative was designed to develop a sustainable, inclusive and globally competitive livestock sector in Nigeria.
Adedoyin said access to finance and credit was one of the 10 pillars of the Nigerian Livestock Growth and Acceleration Strategy developed by the Minister and Permanent Secretary of the ministry.
He explained that developing a critical mass of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) in the livestock sector required making affordable credit available to operators.
According to him, financing under the programme was being subsidised at about 16 per cent, compared with commercial lending rates of about 30 per cent.
He commended DBN for successfully implementing the first phase of the capacity-building programme across the six geopolitical zones, saying it equipped livestock entrepreneurs with foundational business knowledge and the documentation required to access credit.
Adedoyin said the current LAMP was designed to deepen participants’ understanding of how to operate profitable and sustainable livestock businesses.
The Capacity Building Manager, DBN, Mr Fortune Granville, said the programme was funded by the World Bank through the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development under L-PRES.
Granville said DBN was implementing Component 2.2 of the project, which focused on capacity building and access to finance, adding that the bank would provide training while participating financial institutions would provide loans to qualified MSMEs.
He added that many small business owners were unable to access loans because they lacked critical documents, licences and statutory filings required by financial institutions.
Granville disclosed that no fewer than 60 livestock entrepreneurs participated in the first training conducted in January for the South-East zone, while 20 top-performing participants were selected for the current accelerator and mentorship programme.
He said the beneficiaries would undergo five days of intensive training, followed by six months of mentorship and hand-holding by experts.
Speaking, the National Value Chain Consultant for L-PRES, Mrs Heather Akanni, said the programme would provide beneficiaries with further mentorship and support to apply the knowledge acquired in expanding their businesses across different livestock value chains.
Akanni identified access to finance as a major challenge in the livestock sector and urged participating financial institutions to consider businesses beyond primary production, including processing, packaging and marketing.
She also encouraged livestock operators to embrace insurance to protect their investments and improve their eligibility for financing.
Dr Ifeyinwa Nnajieze,
Earlier, the Enugu State Project Coordinator, L-PRES, Dr Ifeyinwa Nnajieze, said Enugu hosted the first L-PRES Small and Medium Enterprise/Participating Financial Institution (SME-PFI) regional training for the South-East from January 26 to 30, 2026.
Nnajieze said the training featured mandatory BizAid online training, practical sessions and expository teaching, with grants awarded to livestock farmers who emerged first to third in a test conducted by DBN.
She said Enugu was selected as a pilot state for the programme because of its strategic role in Nigeria’s livestock sector, adding that the outcome of the first phase was encouraging.
According to her, the state was again selected to host the South-East geopolitical zone for the implementation of LAMP.
Nnajieze attributed the development to the strategic role of Enugu in the livestock sector and the support of Governor Peter Mbah’s administration for livestock development.
She listed some of the state’s livestock initiatives to include the ongoing construction of an Integrated Livestock Development Centre at Ubahu, comprising an irrigation plant, grazing land, feedlot and meat processing facilities.
One of the beneficiaries, Christopher Okeke, who received a N500,000 grant during the first phase, said the intervention enabled him to return to pig farming after financial difficulties forced him to suspend the business.
Okeke said he used the grant to purchase piglets and restructure his business.
