The Federal Government has unveiled the modernisation of the Kawu Grazing Reserve in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, as part of efforts to enhance livestock productivity and reduce farmer–herder conflicts.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, who performed the unveiling on Saturday, said the 9,000-hectare reserve is designed to accommodate about 30,000 cattle and 10,000 households.
He explained that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to transform the livestock sector.
According to him, the reserve is equipped with a dam for dry-season pasture cultivation and five to six motorised boreholes for domestic and livestock use, alongside on-site seed and pasture demonstration farms.
Maiha further disclosed that the ministry had partnered with the Rural Electrification Agency to supply solar energy to the reserve, and with the Universal Basic Education Board and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to establish schools and healthcare centres for residents. Security agencies, he added, are also engaged to safeguard lives and property.
He noted that the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) would implement key projects across grazing reserves nationwide, including functional veterinary clinics, to ensure sustainable livestock production.
Dr Sanusi Abubakar, National Coordinator of L-PRES, said the initiative is aimed at stabilising pastoral livelihoods, reducing seasonal migration, easing herder–farmer conflicts, and boosting productivity while unlocking rural economic opportunities.
He added that the modernised grazing reserves would be transformed into serviced mini-towns with solar power, schools, healthcare centres, veterinary clinics, abattoirs, markets, road networks, irrigation systems, and clean water facilities.
Abubakar stressed that tackling water and pasture challenges remains central to resolving conflicts between farmers and herders.
