Thank you, AAA and Moritz, for this thoughtful report and the clarity it brings to the scale of animal farming challenges in Nigeria. Your recommendations are timely and strategic.
At iCare-Fish, we're currently piloting fish welfare training programs in two large aquaculture cluster farms in Southern Nigeria, following baseline assessments conducted earlier this year. These studies revealed preventable welfare issues, which we're now addressing through practical training focused on humane handling, stocking density, and water quality.
We're glad to see a growing focus on this neglected area and would welcome collaboration or insight from others working on scalable, field-based interventions for farmed fish in Africa.
Executive summary: Animal Advocacy Africa argues that Nigeria's still-developing animal farming sector presents a narrow but critical opportunity for advocates to shape its trajectory away from industrial animal agriculture, and outlines four priority interventions to advance animal welfare and reduce factory farming risks.
Key points:
Nigeria is projected to see one of the largest global increases in farmed animal numbers by 2050, but current consumption and farming practices remain relatively low and informal, offering a strategic window for intervention.
Fish and poultry farming dominate Nigeria’s animal agriculture, with over 400 million farmed fish and 250 million chickens, many of which are already raised in intensive conditions such as battery cages.
Public understanding of animal welfare is low, and factory-farming practices like battery cages are often misunderstood as more humane, while plant-based alternatives remain unfamiliar but show promising consumer interest.
Four recommended interventions include: (1) targeted radio campaigns to raise awareness, (2) advocacy for stocking density regulations, (3) efforts toward a national animal welfare law, and (4) engagement with intensive producers for voluntary improvements.
Implementation challenges include political resistance, enforcement capacity, and the uncertain link between awareness and behavioral change, highlighting the need for feasibility studies and pilot projects.
Initial efforts informed by this research are already underway, including alumni-led radio campaigns and a policy initiative responding to the entry of agribusiness giant JBS into Nigeria.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.
The race against factory farming in Nigeria: What advocates can do now — EA Forum
The race against factory farming in Nigeria: What advocates can do now
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Nigeria farms more than 400 million fish and roughly 250 million chickens each year — and its animal farming sector will continue to grow massively by 2050. Its rapidly growing population and economy are driving a rise in animal product consumption and the intensification of animal farming. But there is still time to shape this trajectory.
At Animal Advocacy Africa (AAA), we want to help advocates intervene before industrial animal agriculture becomes dominant. To this end, we launched a country-specific research project for Nigeria in late 2024 — the first of a planned series to guide participants of our training programme towards high-impact projects.
This post summarises the key takeaways from our Nigeria report. If you’re interested in farmed animal welfare in Africa, or you’re looking for actionable ideas for impactful advocacy, we hope this gives you a useful overview.
The full report (incl. sources) can be found here.
Why Nigeria?
The scale of what’s coming in Nigeria is hard to overstate. The country is not only Africa’s most populous, but is projected to experience one of the largest absolute increases in farmed animal numbers worldwide by 2050. Its egg and fish sectors are already among the largest on the continent. Industrialisation is well underway, especially in poultry production.
However, current animal product consumption remains relatively low, and farming is still largely informal and small-scale. This creates a window of opportunity: intervening now could meaningfully shift the path of development before factory farming is fully entrenched.
What does animal farming in Nigeria look like today?
Nigeria farms vast numbers of animals, especially fish and chickens. At any given time, Nigeria is home to ~420 million farmed fish (especially catfish), ~250 million chickens (130 million broilers, 120 million laying hens), and tens of millions of goats, cows, and sheep.
The table below presents our estimates of the number of animals killed per year and those alive at any given time across various species in Nigeria. These figures are based on a combination of external data and our own calculations, detailed further in this spreadsheet.
Animal group
Animals killed per year
Live animals at any time
Beehives
-
1,990,383
Buffaloes
69,329
161,864
Camels
101,459
296,120
Chickens
302,017,000
248,992,000
Chickens (broilers)
195,180,882
132,723,000
Chickens (laying hens)
106,836,118
116,269,000
Cows
3,312,633
20,905,254
Crustaceans
8,500,000
-
Donkeys
24,435
1,368,207
Ducks
4,218,057
2,212,485
Fish
676,523,363
420,360,380
Fish (cyprinids nei)
17,134,286
11,750,878
Fish (Nile perch)
4,464,000
7,872,324
Fish (North African catfish)
319,822,000
284,286,222
Fish (tilapias nei)
52,680,000
33,441,471
Fish (torpedo-shaped catfishes nei)
282,423,077
83,009,485
Geese
1,018,923
2,467,714
Goats
28,134,084
88,037,056
Horses
9,268
102,714
Mules
-
103,032
Pigeons and other birds
5,019,261
-
Pigs
8,069,382
9,509,551
Rabbits
17,156,321
5,896,000
Sheep
18,856,196
50,284,352
Turkeys
4,850,928
3,594,305
Fish farming is expanding in Nigeria, driven by government and private investment, and is widely viewed as a key solution to food insecurity. Nigeria is now the largest fish consumer and the second-largest producer in Africa. North African catfish dominate production, but species such as tilapia and torpedo-shaped catfish are also farmed in significant numbers.
Poultry is the most commercialised animal farming sector, supported by strong government backing. There are an estimated 17,000 intensive poultry farms, with an average flock size of around 2,600 birds. Roughly 60% of laying hens are already kept in cages, and cage use is rising fast. Even broiler chickens are frequently caged—a practice uncommon in more developed countries.
Public awareness of animal welfare remains low, and misconceptions are common. For example, battery cages are often perceived as more humane than free-range systems. While many Nigerians express concern for animal suffering, few connect this to specific farming practices.
Meanwhile, plant-based and cultivated alternatives remain unfamiliar to most consumers. However, early research suggests strong interest in trying these products, particularly when they’re positioned as healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant.
Four recommendations for animal advocates in Nigeria
Based on a broad intervention review, expert interviews, and prioritisation modelling (drawing on methods from Animal Ask and Ambitious Impact), we identified four priority interventions for advocates to consider:
1. Radio campaigns to raise awareness
Radio remains one of the most trusted and widely used media in Nigeria—especially among rural and lower-income audiences. Carefully crafted campaigns can raise awareness about animal welfare and promote plant-based alternatives.
We’re particularly excited about campaigns that discourage the use of battery cages for laying hens, which could open doors for collaboration with smallholder farmers. The biggest uncertainty is whether increased awareness will translate into actual behaviour change—thoughtful design and testing will be important to address this uncertainty.
2. Advocate for stocking density regulations
Introducing legal limits on how many animals can be kept per square metre could curb some of the worst practices in industrial farming and help level the playing field for small-scale producers. While this policy has high potential, it may face political resistance and enforcement challenges, so early groundwork to assess feasibility is essential.
3. Push for a national animal welfare act
Nigeria currently lacks a comprehensive legal framework for farmed animal protection. A foundational welfare law could enable future reforms, raise the profile of animal welfare in public discourse, and support longer-term systemic change. While potentially more tractable than stocking density reform, its direct impact may take longer to materialise.
4. Engage directly with intensive producers
Working with major poultry and fish producers could unlock practical improvements, such as better stocking densities or slaughter practices, through voluntary commitments or industry standards. The success of this approach will depend heavily on producer receptivity—something we recommend testing through early-stage pilot outreach.
What’s next?
This research has already helped guide our work with Nigerian participants in the 2024/25 training cohort—and it will continue to inform the efforts of our alumni and future cohorts.
Two alumni are already acting on these insights, developing plans for radio campaigns aimed at encouraging egg suppliers and producers to adopt cage-free systems.
We’re also incubating a policy advocacy project that builds on recent developments around JBS' entry into Nigeria, aiming to generate momentum for stronger animal welfare regulation.
We’re excited to see these projects started and will provide updates on their progress.
If you're an advocate, funder, or researcher interested in the future of farmed animals in Africa, we’d love to hear from you. Let’s act now—before factory farming becomes the default.
Animal Advocacy Africa supports advocates across the continent working to prevent the spread of factory farming and promote higher-welfare or plant-based food systems. Learn more atanimaladvocacyafrica.org.
Thank you, AAA and Moritz, for this thoughtful report and the clarity it brings to the scale of animal farming challenges in Nigeria. Your recommendations are timely and strategic.
At iCare-Fish, we're currently piloting fish welfare training programs in two large aquaculture cluster farms in Southern Nigeria, following baseline assessments conducted earlier this year. These studies revealed preventable welfare issues, which we're now addressing through practical training focused on humane handling, stocking density, and water quality.
We're glad to see a growing focus on this neglected area and would welcome collaboration or insight from others working on scalable, field-based interventions for farmed fish in Africa.
– Felix