Nigeria is developing a US$900 million integrated poultry sector in partnership with China, according to Joseph Tegbe, the official in charge of international relations for the Nigeria-China strategic partnership.
The initiative aims to boost domestic egg and poultry meat production, reduce the country’s animal protein deficit and strengthen food security. The plan calls for six integrated poultry farms, one in each geopolitical zone, each targeting output of about 1 million eggs per day, for a combined national production of 6 million eggs daily.
“By the time we have six million eggs a day, each one is supposed to have one million laying hens and 300,000 broilers. Each one of those poultry farms is supposed to have its power generating plant. It’s supposed to have its abattoir, have its hatchery. Each of those poultry farms has backward integration. Because we don’t want to set up a poultry farm and go out and import feedstock,” Tegbe said.
Each farm will also be backed by a 10,000-hectare agricultural estate dedicated to maize and soya production, two key inputs in poultry feed.
Hybrid financing structure with Chinese investors
Each farm is estimated to cost around US$150 million and will be financed through a mixed model. The first two projects will be fully funded by the Nigerian government, while the remaining four will be co-financed, with Chinese investors covering 85% of the costs and the government providing the balance.
“So in the first phase, we are funding fully. The intention is that once we take advantage of the dry season to start the construction work. But after that, the next phase, which is the counterpart funding basis, Chinese bring in funding. And this funding they are bringing in is for 10 years, 3 years moratorium,” Tegbe said. He added that the government plans to eventually transfer operations to private Nigerian operators.
No construction start date has been announced. If implemented, the project is expected to significantly expand domestic production capacity.
Nigeria’s poultry sector, which includes both backyard and commercial operations, produces around 700,000 tonnes of meat and 650,000 tonnes of eggs annually, according to the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS).
Although chicken imports have been banned since 2003, illegal imports persist, highlighting insufficient domestic supply. Singapore-based agribusiness firm Olam Agri estimates that between US$150 million and US$200 million worth of poultry meat is smuggled into Nigeria each year.
The sector continues to face structural constraints. Feed costs, largely driven by maize and soya availability, remain a major pressure on profitability. Biosecurity risks, animal diseases and limited access to financing also weigh on small-scale producers.
Nigeria’s chicken population was estimated at nearly 809.8 million birds in 2024, making it the largest livestock segment in the country’s agricultural sector, according to NAERLS.
