Nigeria’s worsening insecurity is said to be responsible for about €4.1billion of economic loss and a corresponding loss of about 40% of deaths in livestock, especially cattle, sheep, and goats, across the country, according to a report.
The new report, issuedby Nigerian research firm Agramondis Research and Consulting, estimates that insecurity alone is responsible for between €1.3 billion and €4.1 billion in economic losses annually, alongside the deaths of 10% to 40% of livestock — especially cattle, sheep, and goats.
The sector, worth over €7.8 billion, employs 4.5 million people and contributes 10% to agricultural GDP, yet is reeling from low productivity, climate pressures, and minimal government investment.
The livestock population — including 20.9 million cattle, 88.2 million goats, 49.1 million sheep, 258.5 million chickens, and 9.2 million pigs — is being decimated by farmer-herder clashes, loss of grazing land from drought, and heat stress projected to slash annual production by 15%, costing an additional €517 million.
Small-holder farmers dominate the sector, but poor animal husbandry, lack of modern breeding, limited veterinary access, and cultural resistance to digital innovations are stifling growth. The report warns that climate-resilient breeding, digital livestock tracking, and low-cost fodder systems could unlock €14 billion in potential savings — but uptake remains slow.
The human cost is even starker. The International Committee of the Red Cross, (ICRC), says 3.3 million people in northeastern Nigeria are already facing acute hunger after abandoning farmland due to insecurity. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, (FAO), warns that during the lean season more than 30 million Nigerians could be at risk of food insecurity nationwide.
Armed groups and bandits have forced herders from grazing routes and fishermen from rivers and Lake Chad, while climate change drives drought in the North-West region, and floods in the East — twin disasters that are devastating food production.
Aid groups warn that without urgent action to restore security, expand climate adaptation, and modernise the livestock sector, Nigeria risks a deepening cycle of economic loss, food shortages, and rural collapse.
