Gombe L-PRES Project on Monday, commenced a two-day intensive training on access to market information, market-oriented negotiation skills for Livestock farmers and Value chain actors across the Eleven Local Government Areas of the state.
Addressing the participants during the training, Coordinator, Gombe L-PRES Project, Prof. Usman Bello Abubakar said the training was designed to empower livestock producers, processors, transporters, and marketers with essential skills to access market information and enhance their negotiation capabilities to obtain favourable market opportunities and options for their products and services.
He highlighted that Gombe State Government under the leadership of the Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya with support from the World Bank, joined the L-PRES Project to revitalise the livestock sector and has since embarked on various interventions including rehabilitation of earth dams at the famous Wawa Zange Grazing Reserve, constructed solar-powered boreholes to provide access to water for farmers and their livestock in several rural communities across the state.
As part of efforts to improve infrastructure, the Project Coordinator said so far, the project has rehabilitated slaughter slaps at Gombe, Kumo, and Bajoga in Gombe, Akko, and Funakaye Local Government Areas respectively.
He explained that similar interventions are ongoing at Kashere, Bajoga, and Lalaipido livestock markets, while stalls and toilet facilities for live-birds markets at Kwadon, Tallase, Kurugu, and Bajoga are undergoing construction to provide conducive environment for businesses to flourish.
Prof. Abubakar noted that the essence of these positive developments is to lay a solid foundation for the full take-off of Gombe State livestock reforms which requires proper re-positioning of both local and urban livestock infrastructure as well as training and retraining of livestock farmers and stakeholders.
He emphasized the need for participants to give the training all the seriousness it deserved considering its potential to equip them with basic skills and knowledge on how to access market information and market-oriented negotiation skills to improve their business activities.
According to him, “Gombe State Government under the L-PRES Project has introduced numerous projects to salvage the livestock sector, these far reaching interventions are commendably yielding positive results with increased improvement in behaviour change among livestock farmers, value chain actors and stakeholders towards embracing modern livestock practices.”
“I, therefore, call on you to support these laudable initiatives of the state Governor to modernise the sector into a viable and sustainable industry,” he said.
He hinted that the ongoing upgrade of Gombe Vet Clinic at Tashan Dukku to a fully operational veterinary hospital will go a long way towards improving animal health and beef production, adding that the state will soon be at the center stage of global livestock business activities with immense potentials for profits and revenue for the state and income for livestock farmers.
While briefing them on plans to establish International Livestock Market, Ultra Modern Abattoir, upgrading of Gombe Poultry Production Unit into a befitting facility Prof. Abubakar further charged participants on the importance of adapting to the rapidly changing market landscape and encouraged them to leverage this opportunity to learn innovative strategies that can lead to the development of modern market practices.
The Facilitator who conducted the training, Professor Babangida Mohammed Musa from the Department of Business Administration, Gombe State University guided participants through six modules covering wide range of topics, including effective Market Information Systems, Negotiation Techniques tailored for the livestock sector and Strategies for Building Strong Market Relationships among others.
Speaking about the content of his presentations, Prof. Babangida hinted that by the end of the training, participants are expected to be equipped with practical skills and insights that will enable them to navigate the complexities of the livestock value chain with greater confidence and success.
He said the training will not only provide valuable information but also foster networking among participants, allowing them to share experiences and establish connections that could lead to future collaborations.
He noted that as the livestock industry continues to evolve, initiatives like this training will play a crucial role in ensuring that stakeholders are well-prepared to meet new challenges and seize emerging opportunities in the market.
The training which took place in Gombe attracted participants from the Eleven local Government areas of the state, mainly livestock producers, processors, transporters, and marketers.
