By Emeka Anaeto, Business Editor

In the run up to the 2026 edition of the Vanguard Economic Discourse, the Honorable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has been slated to lead the Panel discussion session. 

The 2026 edition of the Vanguard Economic Discourse is scheduled to hold next week, Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos starting by 9am.

The theme of this year’s edition is Food Security and Socio-economic Stability: Options for Nigeria’s Agriculture Sector Rebound.

In his position as the Lead Panelist the Honorable Minister is expected to engage the gathering of the public and private sector agro-food lead stakeholders on the developments in the Nigeria’s livestock segments.

The event which parades an array of key sector leaders has the Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, as the chairman, while Dr. Hussein Gadain, ECOWAS/ Nigeria Resident Representative of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN/ FAO) is setting the stage for incisive discussion as the Keynote Speaker.

A group of eminent stakeholders in the Nigeria’s agriculture and food value chain drawn from public and private sector as well as international organizations have been assembled as panelists.

The Panel Session will feature Mrs Dede Ekoue, Country Director, International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, in Nigeria; Dr Mrs Moji Davids, Managing Director, Xtralarge Farms & Resorts; Mohammed Magaji, President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN; and Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, President of Nigeria Agribusiness Group, NABG.

 

The eminent stakeholders would also include representatives of financial institutions with the Agric Desks of Commercial Banks in the formal and networking sessions. 

The Honorable Minister of Livestock Development, Maiha, is an accomplished public sector executive, who graduated from Ahmadu Bello University with Bachelor’s and Masters Degrees and started his public service career as a lecturer at the Department of Arts and Social Science, College of Preliminary Studies, Yola, Gongola State in 1982. 

before joining the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as a Personnel Officer in 1992.

He had an illustrious career at the NNPC, where he rose through the ranks as a professional Human Resource Expert to become the Executive Director, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, Kaduna, from 2011 to 2016 and Managing Director of the same company from 2016 to 2017.

He retired from the NNPC to pursue his passion for livestock development at the Zaidi Farms Limited, which he owns and served as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer until his appointment as a Federal Minister. 

He is credited with the successful transformation of the Zaidi Farms which holds over 250 exotic cattle breeds with a 19-year old legacy of profitable, safe and sustainable climate-smart livestock management. 

The farm is known for the use of modern technologies to improve genetic diversity of exotic cattle breeds, goat and sheep with an orchard of 3000 assorted fruit trees, free-range pasture chickens, tilapia fish ponds and an apiary.

He was also a member of the Kaduna State Steering Committee of Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS), a World Bank Assisted project from 2018 to 2023.

The Vanguard Economic Summit has gained traction in the past eight years as a major public-private sector platform for reviews and cross-fertilization of economic development ideas by Nigeria’s public and private sector leaders.