Project to promote youth employment in the local milk chain in Nigeria and the Republic of Niger

Unemployment is high among young people in Nigeria and Niger, yet there is enormous potential in local milk value chains. By building the capacity of young people in the dairy trades, many young people outside the employment circle could be taken on. It was discovered that lack of skills and capabilities is one of the main factors hindering gainful employment for young people in Kaduna State in Nigeria and Magaria-Zinder in the Republic of Niger. Hence the setting up of a project to build capacity and reduce poverty in Kaduna State in Nigeria and the Magaria-Zinder area in the Republic of Niger.

The project is designed to place young people and women in priority positions to transform local milk value chains. The project targets two sites: one in Kaduna (Kachia) and the other in Magaria-Zinder, Republic of Niger. As women are generally the ones responsible for milk production and income management, more people will be positively affected by the project's intervention. Sales of quality dairy products will increase by 15%. The project pays particular attention to the empowerment of young women, to ensure that they do not lose an important source of income, and that they are not marginalized in the development of the dairy sector and continue to be active players. The project will support the inclusion of women in other non-agricultural jobs linked to the value chain. The choice of the two locations was carefully made, taking into account the need for land for the project. The Kachia grazing reserve has land secured and protected by the government for livestock production, while the other Magaria-Zinder location in the Republic of Niger will be secured thanks to a link already established with key local and state stakeholders. Managing local milk requires a strict approach to hygiene, certification and quality, which will be at the heart of the training and retraining of young people and service providers; closer links with certification agencies will be forged to ensure certification and compliance on the basis of established rules and regulations concerning milk and dairy products in both countries.