From 150m to 850m: Nigeria’s Massive Leap in Livestock Vaccine Production
Hussaini Umar
A massive scaling operation is underway to insulate Nigeria’s livestock economy from disease outbreaks. The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) is moving to increase annual vaccine production by over 460%.
The National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) is at the heart of a transformation that aims to boost production from its current 150 million doses to a staggering 850 million doses annually. This surge is designed to strengthen local capacity and ensure that Nigeria no longer relies heavily on imports during critical animal health crises.
The Vaccination Dashboard
23.3M+Total Animals Vaccinated
10MCattle Protected
9.1MSheep & Goats
4.1MPoultry Birds
Logistics: The Cold Chain Defense
Production is only half the battle. To ensure these vaccines reach the “last mile,” Dr. Sanusi Abubakar, the National Project Coordinator of L-PRES, revealed the establishment of a 40 million-dose strategic storage facility in the Federal Capital Territory. This is bolstered by regional cold-chain infrastructure to maintain vaccine efficacy across Nigeria’s diverse climates.
Key Diseases Targeted:
The current drive focuses on high-impact economic diseases, including Anthrax, Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
Infrastructure Beyond Vaccines
The project’s data shows a holistic approach to livestock resilience:
Veterinary Care: Seven model veterinary hospitals have been constructed, with three already commissioned. 13 more are currently under development.
Feed Security: Rehabilitation of the National Feed Reference Laboratory at the University of Ibadan is complete, addressing one of the industry’s biggest bottlenecks: quality nutrition.
Research Expansion: New laboratories are rising at Nasarawa State University and the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
As L-PRES hits its mid-term milestones, the focus is shifting toward sustainability. By upgrading seed multiplication and water systems at the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) in Zaria, the project is building a foundation for an industry that is not just more productive, but more resilient to environmental and biological shocks.
