Promoting local dairy and meat products

Context

Pastoral areas in Niger are predominantly used for cattle, dromedaries, sheep and goats. With 51 million animals, the country is one of the largest animal producers in Africa.

The majority of the animals are exported. Meanwhile, the people of Niger obtain the dairy products they need primarily through imports. The main reason for this is the lack of cooperation between producers, dairies and consumer organisations. In many places, livestock herders feed excess milk to calves or simply throw it away.

Meat processing and marketing are also poorly structured. Slaughterhouses rarely comply with international standards regarding hygiene, environmental protection and animal welfare.

Objective

Livestock herders and downstream processing companies increase the market share of local dairy and meat products in Niger.

Approach

The project supports the professional groups, organised in association, in increasing the market share of local animal products in Niger. It helps them, for example, to lobby legislators for the introduction of import duties for imported milk, labelling requirements and quality standards that create a competitive advantage for local products. In this context, the project promotes dialogue between the different interest groups, such as livestock herders, processing companies as well as consumers, with a view to reconciling conflicting interests.

At the same time, the project enables livestock herders to improve the quality of animal feed, animal health and product hygiene while also safeguarding grazing areas.

It also trains workers such as dairy experts and butchers. Moreover, the project advises large-scale dairies and slaughterhouses to expand production.

Last update: May 2025