Over 63,000 smallholder dairy farmers across seven states have shown the potential of Nigeria's dairy sector by generating N5 billion in milk sales within six years.

Sahel Consulting Managing Partner, Temitope Adegoroye, disclosed this in Kano at the close-out of the six-year Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme, funded by the Gates Foundation.

He said the achievement demonstrates that Nigeria's dairy industry can thrive if farmers are better integrated into the formal value chain.

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The farmers, drawn from Adamawa, Bauchi, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and Taraba states, were organised into 2,663 self-help groups and 234 cooperatives registered with state governments.

Together, they supplied about 15 million litres of fresh milk to processors during the programme period.

Adegoroye noted that Nigeria has 20.9 million cattle, but only 2.4 million are used for dairy, representing just 11 per cent.

He said this mismatch highlights the vast untapped potential of the sector, which continues to rely heavily on imported milk powder.

Adegoroye stressed that sustaining the gains requires deliberate action from government and dairy processors. "The local dairy sector in Nigeria can work," he said. "But we need stronger relationships between farmers and processors, and government policies that support growth."

In Jigawa State, the representative of the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Dr Abdullahi Muhammad, said the programme improved dairy production, animal health, nutrition and market access.

He explained that daily milk yields in many households rose from less than two litres to between five and seven litres per cow.

He added that rural women also recorded higher household incomes, showing the social impact of dairy development.

Muhammad said Jigawa State would sustain the gains by maintaining milk collection centres and integrating ALDDN training modules into its livestock extension system.