Advancing Financial Inclusion and Local Dairy Development in Northern Nigeria

How can community-based organizations support local economic development? This case study draws from the experiences of dairy farmers engaged through women-only, men-only, and mixed-sex self-help groups (SHGs) and cooperatives to provide new insights.

Lessons Learned from the Experiences of Female Dairy Farmers in Women-Only and Mixed Self-Help Groups and Cooperatives: Advancing Financial Inclusion and Local Dairy Development in Northern Nigeria highlights findings from the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) project, which ran from 2020 to 2025 across six northern Nigerian states.

The project, implemented by TechnoServe in partnership with SAHEL Consulting and funded by the Gates Foundation, aimed to catalyze an inclusive local dairy sector that enhances livelihoods, improves nutrition, and empowers smallholders. ALDDN strengthened 2,664 self-help groups (SHGs) and 233 cooperatives, collectively reaching over 63,000 farmers.