MOUAU Secures N300m World Bank Livestock Research Project
The Vice-Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, has expressed delight over the approval of a N300m Animal Feed Reference Laboratory project for the University by the World Bank-supported Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES).
Prof. Akanwa made this known while receiving a delegation from the L-PRES Team led by the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), Prof. Udo Herbert, during a courtesy visit to her office.
The Vice-Chancellor described the project as a major boost to the University’s livestock and agribusiness development drive, stressing that strategic partnerships remain critical to institutional growth and national agricultural transformation.
She noted that MOUAU possesses the requisite manpower, technical expertise, and research capacity to effectively manage the facility and ensure its optimal utilization for impactful research and livestock productivity. “We are grateful to L-PRES and the World Bank for finding MOUAU worthy of hosting this important project.
“The University will maximize the opportunities provided by the laboratory to advance livestock production, feed quality research, and agribusiness development,” Prof. Akanwa stated.
Earlier, Prof. Herbert, the immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of MOUAU who facilitated the project, explained that the institution was selected based on its proven research innovations and contributions to agricultural development.
“MOUAU is a strong institution with remarkable research capacity in agricultural value chains. This informed the decision to site the project in the University as N300m has already been earmarked for its take-off,” he said.
Also speaking, the World Bank Co-Task Team Leader (Co-TTL), Chidozie Anyiro, stated that the project would improve livestock productivity, enhance economic stability, and contribute to addressing farmers-herders conflicts through better access to pasture and water resources.
The L-PRES project is a $500m World Bank-supported initiative with a six-year implementation lifespan aimed at improving livestock productivity, resilience, commercialization of selected value chains, and strengthening Nigeria’s response to agricultural crises and emergencies across 20 states of the federation.