Top 10 Goat Producing Countries in Africa in 2025

In Summary

• With more than 300 million heads across the continent by 2025, goats underpin food security, provide daily cash flow, and serve as “banks on hooves” for millions of households, especially in drought-prone and fragile economies.
• Nigeria (approximately 88 million), Ethiopia (approximately 52.5 million), and Somalia (approximately 30.5 million) lead Africa’s goat economy, while Tanzania, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Mali, and Morocco follow closely, supplying both domestic markets and lucrative exports to the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond.
• Investments in animal health, feed systems, women’s empowerment, and value-added products could unlock goats’ full potential, but climate shocks, weak infrastructure, and market inefficiencies still limit productivity and fair returns for farmers.

Deep Dive!!

Goats are among the most important yet underrated livestock assets in Africa. Hardy, prolific, and deeply embedded in cultural and economic life, they provide meat, milk, hides, and quick cash for tens of millions of households across the continent. Unlike cattle, which require abundant pasture and water, goats thrive in marginal environments, from the Sahel’s dusty scrublands to the rocky slopes of the Atlas Mountains. This adaptability has made them a lifeline for rural families confronting droughts, inflation, and economic shocks. As the FAO and USDA reports of 2024/2025underline, goats are not only a dietary staple but also a form of “bank on hooves,” empowering families with an accessible and resilient form of wealth.

By 2025, Africa’s goat population has surged past 300 million head, concentrated in key producing nations that dominate the small-ruminant landscape. Countries such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Somalia lead the pack with tens of millions of goats each, while others like Tanzania, Sudan, Chad, and Niger anchor regional economies with herds that sustain livelihoods and feed into lucrative export markets. Even in North Africa, where goats are fewer in number, nations like Morocco are leveraging them for value-added industries such as artisanal cheese and leather. Each country’s story is distinct, but the thread is common: goats are central to survival, resilience, and opportunity.

This article explores the Top 10 goat-producing countries in Africa in 2025, weaving together the latest livestock data, FAO/USDA insights, and ground-level perspectives. Beyond the numbers, it digs into the socio-economic roles goats play, supporting women’s empowerment, fueling regional trade, and acting as buffers against climate shocks. It also examines the challenges, such as disease, poor infrastructure, and market inefficiencies that hold back productivity, alongside the policies and innovations poised to transform the sector. By tracing these ten nations, we gain not just a statistical ranking, but a window into how goats are shaping Africa’s agricultural and economic future.

10. Morocco

Morocco rounds out the top ten goat-producing countries in Africa, with an estimated approximately 6 million goats as of 2024/2025. While its numbers are smaller compared to Nigeria or Ethiopia, Morocco’s goats are significant both in cultural and economic terms. The rugged Atlas Mountains, Rif region, and arid plateaus are home to indigenous breeds such as the Atlas goat and Draa goat, prized for their adaptability to rocky terrain and dry conditions. The Draa goat, in particular, is renowned for its milk, which underpins small but growing artisanal cheese industries. Unlike in many Sahelian nations where goats are primarily a subsistence buffer, Morocco’s goat sector straddles the line between tradition and commercialization, reflecting the country’s more diversified agricultural economy.

At the household level, goats remain a mainstay of rural livelihoods. Families in mountainous areas rely on goat milk and meat for daily nutrition, with women often taking the lead in herd management and dairy processing. A 2024 development study in the High Atlas noted:“Goat rearing is not just an income source; it preserves cultural identity, especially for Amazigh women.”Goat skins are also integrated into Morocco’s famed artisanal leather industries, linking rural goat herders to urban markets in Fez and Marrakesh. In this sense, goats form a bridge between Morocco’s rural heritage and its globally recognized craft and culinary traditions.

Market demand for goat products in Morocco has been growing steadily, driven by both domestic consumption and tourism. Goat meat is commonly consumed in tagines and traditional dishes, while goat cheeses are increasingly popular in urban supermarkets and among hospitality sectors catering to international visitors. Exports, though modest compared to larger livestock players, are beginning to show potential, particularly for specialty products such as organic goat cheese and hides. However, constraints remain: productivity per head is low, veterinary services are unevenly distributed, and climate change, manifested in recurrent droughts—continues to threaten grazing lands. These challenges limit Morocco’s ability to expand goat production at scale, even as demand rises.

Looking ahead, Morocco is actively investing in modernizing its small-ruminant sector under its “Generation Green 2020–2030” agricultural strategy, which emphasizes value addition, women’s inclusion, and climate resilience. Pilot programs are introducing improved forage crops and breeding initiatives to raise milk yields in goats, while cooperatives are helping women goat farmers scale up dairy processing. As one agricultural economist in Rabat observed in 2025:“Goats are Morocco’s hidden asset, they thrive where little else grows, and they can turn harsh landscapes into livelihoods.”With nearly six million goats and growing demand for premium products, Morocco’s challenge is to balance modernization with the preservation of its rural traditions, ensuring goats continue to serve as both cultural icons and economic contributors in a rapidly changing economy.

9. Mali

Mali ranks ninth among Africa’s goat-producing nations, with estimates placing its herds in the mid-teens to around 20 million head as of 2024/2025. Like Niger and Chad, Mali’s numbers are sometimes reported jointly with sheep, but regional livestock assessments consistently underscore goats as a dominant component of its small-ruminant wealth. The Sahelian goat is the most common, adapted to the dry grasslands of Gao, Timbuktu, and Mopti, while the West African Dwarf goat thrives in southern, more humid regions. This mix gives Mali a diverse genetic base, helping households spread risk across ecological zones. In a country where nearly 80% of the population depends on agriculture and livestock, goats are not simply animals, they are integral to cultural identity and economic survival.

At the household level, goats are woven into Mali’s social and economic fabric. They serve as dowry payments, religious offerings, and everyday income generators. Women play a particularly vital role in managing goat herds, often selling them at weekly markets to purchase food staples or reinvest in small businesses. A 2024 Sahelian livelihoods survey observed:“For rural women in Mali, goats are the first step to financial independence.”In northern Mali, where insecurity has disrupted cattle and camel herding, goats remain the most resilient form of wealth. Their short reproductive cycles allow herds to rebuild quickly, giving families a buffer against the twin shocks of conflict and climate variability.

Markets for goats in Mali are vibrant and regionally connected. Goats are traded in major livestock hubs like Bamako, Mopti, and Sikasso, with significant flows moving across borders into Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. During the 2024 Eid al-Adha season, demand surged, raising prices by nearly 20% in urban markets. Export opportunities also exist through trans-Saharan trade, with goats making their way north into Algeria and Libya. Yet, Mali’s goat producers face obstacles similar to their Sahelian neighbors: limited access to veterinary care, poor transport infrastructure, and insecurity along trade corridors. These barriers prevent pastoralists from fully capitalizing on the strong demand for goats both at home and abroad.

Looking ahead, Mali’s goat sector is seen as a strategic entry point for rural development. Government initiatives, supported by FAO and IFAD, aim to strengthen pasture management, fodder systems, and vaccination programs, especially against Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), which threatens herd health. There is also growing interest in goat dairying, with pilot projects introducing improved breeds for milk production in southern Mali. A livestock development officer in Bamako noted in 2025:“If we unlock the full potential of goats, they can drive not just food security, but also women’s empowerment and regional trade.”With millions of goats already central to household economies, Mali’s challenge is less about herd size and more about translating this biological wealth into structured, resilient, and inclusive value chains that can withstand the pressures of conflict and climate change.

8. Niger

Niger sits eighth among Africa’s top goat-producing nations, with herd estimates ranging from the mid-teens to just over 20 million head as of 2024/2025. Like its Sahelian neighbors Chad and Mali, Niger’s goat sector is deeply tied to its semi-arid ecology and nomadic pastoral traditions. FAO and regional livestock data confirm that goats form one of the largest components of Niger’s small-ruminant population, often outnumbering sheep in certain regions. The West African Sahel goat and the Red Sokoto breed dominate, with their adaptability to thorn scrub and sparse water defining Niger’s comparative advantage. In a country where over 80% of the landmass is desert or semi-desert, goats represent resilience in the face of climatic extremes.

For Nigerien households, goats are indispensable to daily survival. They provide milk for children, meat for festivals, and a ready source of cash for essentials. Women, in particular, are active managers of household herds, often selling goats to fund small businesses or educational costs. A 2024 FAO Sahel brief captured this dynamic well:“In Niger, a goat is more than food—it is a dowry, a school fee, and a loan in the absence of banks.”This socio-economic role is amplified by Niger’s vulnerability to droughts and food insecurity. When crop harvests fail, goats are often the first assets sold, providing a crucial buffer against hunger. Their relatively quick reproductive cycle also helps households rebuild herds faster than with cattle.

Goats also fuel Niger’s cross-border livestock economy. Informal markets along the borders with Nigeria, Benin, and Burkina Faso see thousands of goats traded weekly, feeding into West Africa’s largest consumer market, Nigeria. During the 2024 Eid al-Adha season, Nigerien goats were in particularly high demand in northern Nigerian cities like Kano and Maiduguri, where buyers paid premiums for their perceived hardiness and meat quality. However, weak infrastructure and insecurity along trade corridors limit pastoralists’ earnings. Transport bottlenecks, banditry, and market taxes erode profit margins, leaving many smallholders with less than half the retail value. These challenges highlight the structural barriers preventing Niger from capturing the full benefits of its goat wealth.

Looking ahead, Niger’s goat sector stands at a crossroads. Development agencies and government programs under the Programme d’Action du Gouvernement 2022–2026are focusing on improving veterinary services, promoting fodder production, and formalizing livestock markets. There is also growing interest in harnessing goats for value-added products such as dried meat, cheese, and leather, which could diversify income streams for rural households. As one Nigerien livestock economist observed in 2025:“Goats are our silent currency, if we organize their markets better, they could rival uranium in supporting rural Niger’s economy.”With climate pressures mounting, Niger’s millions of goats may prove to be both a safety net and a growth engine, provided investments are targeted at improving productivity and market access.

7. Chad

Chad ranks seventh among Africa’s leading goat-producing countries, with herd estimates consistently placed in the high teens to just over 20 million head. Like Sudan and Niger, Chad’s official livestock statistics often aggregate sheep and goats, making precise figures elusive. However, FAO and Sahelian livestock assessments consistently highlight Chad as one of the region’s small-ruminant powerhouses. Goats thrive in the country’s vast Sahelian belt, stretching from the Lake Chad Basin through Kanem and Batha to the Guéra highlands. Their ability to survive on sparse shrubs and limited water makes them perfectly adapted to Chad’s arid climate, where cattle and crops often struggle. In this context, goats are not merely livestock, they are a survival mechanism for millions of rural households.

For Chadian families, goats serve as household savings accounts. They can be sold quickly at local markets to purchase millet, sorghum, or medicine when cash is scarce. Women are especially central in goat rearing, often managing small household herds and using the proceeds to fund children’s schooling or petty trading. This gendered role elevates goats beyond their economic function, positioning them as instruments of empowerment in communities where women’s access to land or cattle is limited.

Goat meat consumption in Chad is significant, both domestically and regionally. During religious festivals such as Eid al-Adha, demand surges across towns like N’Djamena, Abéché, and Moundou, raising prices sharply. Chad is also a key player in the trans-Sahelian livestock trade, with goats moving across porous borders into Nigeria, Cameroon, and Libya. This informal cross-border commerce is often more lucrative than domestic sales, especially when Nigerian urban markets, home to over 200 million consumers, experience shortages. Yet, weak infrastructure, insecurity in border regions, and recurrent droughts create volatility in prices and supply, reducing the benefits that pastoralists and smallholders could otherwise capture.

Looking forward, Chad’s goat sector faces both risks and opportunities. On the one hand, climate change is tightening the window for grazing and increasing the frequency of feed shortages. On the other, regional development programs supported by FAO, IFAD, and the African Development Bank are promoting pasture improvement, veterinary outreach, and market cooperatives to stabilize production. If such initiatives are scaled up, Chad’s goat sector could shift from a largely informal, subsistence-oriented activity to a more structured contributor to national GDP. As a development economist in N’Djamena remarked in 2025:“Goats are Chad’s hidden capital, if we can modernize their value chain, they could be as strategic as oil in securing livelihoods.”This statement captures both the urgency and the promise: Chad’s millions of goats are more than animals; they are the backbone of resilience in a fragile economy.

6. Sudan

Sudan ranks sixth among Africa’s top goat-producing countries, with estimates placing its population in the high teens to over 20 million head. Exact numbers are difficult to pin down because official statistics often group sheep and goats together; FAO’sPeste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) Global Eradicationprofiles, for example, cite 31–40 million small ruminants without disaggregation. Nonetheless, Sudan’s place as a major goat producer is undisputed, reflecting its vast rangelands, nomadic pastoralist traditions, and deep livestock culture. Goats, alongside camels and sheep, form the foundation of Sudan’s rural economy, particularly in the dry savanna and semi-arid zones that stretch from Darfur to Kassala. Their adaptability to harsh climates has cemented them as a lifeline for millions of households navigating political upheavals and climate stress.

In rural Sudan, goats serve multiple roles beyond meat production. They provide milk, which is a crucial source of nutrition for children, and hides that feed into local craft industries. More importantly, goats act as a “bank on hooves”, offering families a tradable asset in the absence of reliable financial systems. As conflict and inflation battered Sudan’s economy in 2023–2024, reports noted that many households turned to goats as a survival strategy. A pastoral leader from North Kordofan told FAO evaluators in late 2024:“When the markets collapse, our goats are still here. We sell two or three and buy grain.”This illustrates how goats buffer families against not just environmental shocks, but also economic and political instability.

Sudan’s goat economy is also tied closely to regional exports, particularly to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states. The country’s Red Sea ports at Suakin and Port Sudan are traditional livestock export hubs, moving millions of small ruminants annually. Goats represent a critical portion of this trade, although official figures tend to blend them with sheep. Export earnings are significant, livestock is one of Sudan’s top foreign-exchange generators, but the system is fragile. Political turmoil, trade restrictions, and periodic Gulf bans due to animal health concerns have disrupted flows, causing heavy income losses for pastoralists. The risk is amplified by weak veterinary infrastructure and recurring outbreaks of PPR, which threaten herd health.

Despite these challenges, there are opportunities for transformation. FAO and regional partners are supporting Sudan with vaccination campaigns, feed development projects, and water-point rehabilitation to stabilize small-ruminant production. The push to eradicate PPR by 2030 also places goats at the center of international livestock health programs. If stability can return, Sudan’s combination of vast grazing lands and established export routes gives it significant potential to expand the goat sector. As one development consultant in Khartoum put it in 2025:“Sudan’s goats are more than food, they are a bridge to regional markets and a shield for households under pressure.”Harnessing this potential requires modernizing veterinary services and empowering pastoralist communities, especially women, who are often the primary goat keepers. If realized, Sudan’s goat sector could evolve from a survival mechanism into a pillar of resilience and growth.

5. Tanzania

Tanzania holds the fifth spot in Africa’s goat production rankings, with an estimated 24.5 million head, according to the 2019/20 National Sample Census of Agriculture published by the National Bureau of Statistics and validated in FAO’s livestock data. Unlike Nigeria or Ethiopia, where herd sizes tower, Tanzania’s strength lies in the steady growth of its goat population across diverse agro-ecological zones. From the semi-arid Dodoma and Singida regions to the highlands of Arusha and Kilimanjaro, goats are integrated into both pastoralist and smallholder farming systems. Their adaptability to feed shortages and dry spells has made them indispensable to households navigating climate variability. As the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries noted in a 2024 update, goats are not only a source of meat and milk but also a critical contributor to household cash income and resilience.

For rural households, goats act as micro-livelihood engines. Women and youth are often primary managers of goats, selling them to cover schooling costs, medical bills, or even to invest in petty trade. This gendered role is increasingly recognized by policymakers and NGOs, who highlight goats as a pathway for women’s economic empowerment. This reality underscores how goats, more than cattle, embed themselves into the rhythms of household economics and social mobility in Tanzania.

The market outlook is equally striking. Goat meat, locally known asnyama ya mbuzi, has become a staple in Tanzania’s urban centers, powering a thriving informal economy of roadside grills and butcheries. Demand peaks during holidays and weddings, where goat meat is considered a delicacy. Urban consumers have shown a willingness to pay premium prices, raising opportunities for smallholder commercialization. Beyond domestic demand, Tanzania is also positioning itself to tap into regional and Gulf export markets, building on its quarantine facilities at Tanga and Dar es Salaam ports. However, gaps remain: weak cold-chain logistics, limited slaughterhouse capacity, and animal disease outbreaks constrain the country from fully monetizing its goat potential.

Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, Tanzania’s government has prioritized livestock in its Agriculture Sector Development Program Phase II, which emphasizes animal health, feed availability, and breed improvement. Development partners are investing in projects to scale up improved forage crops and crossbreeding programs to increase productivity. If these measures are implemented effectively, they could raise carcass yields and milk output, ensuring goats contribute more significantly to GDP. As one livestock economist in a 2025 forum put it:“Tanzania’s goat sector is a sleeping giant, if productivity per head improves by just 10%, the ripple effects on food security, exports, and women’s incomes will be transformative.”With its 24.5 million goats, Tanzania is not merely sustaining livelihoods; it is standing at the threshold of turning smallholder goat keeping into a strategic pillar of its agricultural economy.

4. Kenya

Kenya ranks fourth in Africa’s goat production, with an estimated 26–27 million head as of 2020–2024 data, based on government livestock census reports showing that goats make up nearly 58% of the nation’s 46 million small ruminants. While Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Somalia dominate in raw numbers, Kenya’s goat sector is remarkable for its diversity of production systems, from the arid rangelands of Turkana and Marsabit to the intensive smallholder dairies in Central Kenya. The Galla goat, prized for its size and milk yield, thrives in northern regions, while the Small East African goat is found across subsistence households in nearly every county. This distribution underlines how central goats are to Kenya’s rural economy: nearly every smallholder farmer owns at least a few, often managed by women and children, providing milk, meat, and cash flow.

Socio-economically, goats in Kenya function as both food security buffers and income multipliers. In pastoral areas, goats are critical for survival, particularly during droughts when cattle herds decline. Goat milk provides vital nutrition for children, and meat demand rises in urban markets such as Nairobi and Mombasa. The 2024 drought cycle once again highlighted goats’ resilience: while cattle losses were widely reported in northern counties, goats were able to withstand the conditions better, ensuring households still had income and food. 

Market dynamics for goats in Kenya have been shifting rapidly, shaped by urbanization, cultural festivals, and cross-border trade. Demand for chevon has been rising, especially during religious holidays, and prices in Nairobi have spiked accordingly. Kenya also acts as a livestock corridor for goats moving toward Somalia and Ethiopia, feeding into export pipelines to the Gulf states. In 2024, Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture noted a steady increase in goat sales through formal and informal markets, with urban consumers increasingly willing to pay premium prices for quality meat. Yet challenges persist: poor infrastructure, limited cold-chain facilities, and livestock theft undermine producers’ earnings. As a result, pastoralists often receive only a fraction of the retail value.

Looking forward, Kenya is investing in modernization and productivity. Government initiatives under the Kenya Livestock Master Plan 2023–2027emphasize breed improvement, better veterinary coverage, and fodder development to stabilize goat production. NGOs and research groups, such as ILRI in Nairobi, are also piloting goat-dairy programs that could transform household incomes, particularly for women. With goats already constituting a majority of the country’s small-ruminant population, the potential is enormous. As one ILRI researcher noted in 2025:“If we invest in goat genetics and markets with the same energy as dairy cattle, goats could become Kenya’s hidden dairy revolution.”By 2025, Kenya’s goat sector will remain a quiet giant—resilient, adaptive, and poised to drive food security, rural resilience, and export potential in an increasingly climate-stressed region.

3. Somalia

Somalia ranks third in Africa’s goat production, with an estimated 30.5 million goats as of 2025, according to FAO’sHand-in-Handinvestment brief. Goats are at the heart of Somali pastoral culture, making up more than half of the country’s total livestock population. Their dominance is no accident, Somalia’s semi-arid climate, acacia scrublands, and nomadic traditions all align with the hardy physiology of goats. They browse where cattle and camels struggle, survive long dry spells, and reproduce quickly. This resilience has ensured goats remain the cornerstone of Somali livelihoods, both as a daily household resource and as the engine of its lucrative livestock export industry.

Economically, goats are Somalia’s lifeline. Livestock contributes over 60% of Somalia’s GDP and nearly 80% of export earnings, with goats leading the way in live-animal exports to the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the primary destinations, especially during the Hajj season, when demand for sacrificial animals surges. In 2024 alone, Somalia shipped millions of goats through Berbera and Bossaso ports, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in hard currency. A Somali livestock trader interviewed by FAO noted:“Goats are our oil, they keep the economy alive when everything else fails.”That analogy is not misplaced: while Somalia lacks mineral resources, goats have literally funded household survival and national commerce across decades of conflict and instability.

But the story is not without its fragility. The Horn of Africa’s devastating drought cycles from 2021 to 2023 wiped out large numbers of cattle and sheep, yet goats endured better thanks to their adaptive diets. Still, herd health and market reliability remain pressing concerns. Quarantine measures, disease outbreaks like Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), and occasional export bans from Gulf states have disrupted incomes for pastoralists. Women, who often manage household-level goat herds, are particularly vulnerable to these shocks. A 2024 FAO assessment emphasized that without investments in animal health systems, feed supply, and water points, the sector risks stagnation, even collapse, under the pressure of climate variability and trade volatility.

Yet opportunities abound if Somalia can stabilize and modernize its goat economy. Investments in quarantine facilities, veterinary services, and market infrastructure are already underway with support from international development agencies and Gulf buyers. There is also growing talk of moving beyond live-animal exports into value-added processing, such as chilled goat meat and goat-milk products, which could create jobs and retain more value locally. As one Somali development consultant put it in 2025:“We can no longer afford to just walk our goats onto ships; we must build industries around them.”If these ambitions succeed, Somalia’s 30.5 million goats could power not just exports, but also new frontiers of agro-processing, rural employment, and food security, securing goats’ role as both a cultural anchor and an economic powerhouse.

2. Ethiopia

Ethiopia stands firmly as Africa’s second-largest goat producer, with an estimated 52.5 million head as of 2024/2025, according to CGIAR/FAO-linked livestock investment notes. This staggering figure reflects Ethiopia’s deep-rooted identity as a small-ruminant powerhouse, with goats and sheep forming the backbone of its rural economy. The country’s diverse agro-ecological zones, from the arid lowlands of Afar and Somali regions to the highland plateaus, provide a natural home for multiple indigenous goat breeds. The Somali goat is prized for its meat, the Afar goat thrives in desert conditions, and the Ambo and Arsi-Bale goats are important in the central highlands. Together, these breeds make Ethiopia one of the most genetically diverse goat reservoirs in the world, a fact that FAO analysts often highlight as a competitive advantage for resilience and productivity.

What makes Ethiopia unique is not just herd size, but the socio-economic web goats support. Studies note that nearly 30 million rural Ethiopians depend directly on small ruminants, with goats acting as a financial “shock absorber” during droughts or harvest failures. In pastoralist regions, goats often account for more than 40% of household income, underpinning school fees, marriage payments, and even emergency food purchases. A CGIAR livestock brief from 2024 observed:“For many pastoral households, goats are not only protein on the hoof but also the first line of defense against poverty.”That role became even more pronounced during the Horn of Africa’s recent drought cycles, when cattle herds declined but goat populations remained more stable due to their browsing ability and hardiness.

Markets for goat meat and milk are expanding fast, especially with Ethiopia’s rapid urbanization. Addis Ababa and other cities have seen a steady rise in demand for chevon (goat meat), often commanding premium prices during festivals like Eid al-Adha. Export has also become a growth frontier: Ethiopia is one of Africa’s top live-animal exporters, with goats and sheep shipped to the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture reported that live goat and sheep exports generated over $150 million in foreign exchange, a vital source of hard currency for a country facing balance-of-payment pressures. Yet, market inefficiencies, poor veterinary coverage, inadequate transport infrastructure, and weak cold-chain systems, mean Ethiopia captures only a fraction of the potential value from its massive goat sector.

Policy signals suggest Ethiopia is aware of this gap and is moving toward modernization. CGIAR’s 2025 investment note highlights efforts to strengthen feed supply chains, invest in genetic improvement programs, and expand animal health services. There is also a push to integrate smallholders, especially women and youth, into more formal goat value chains, recognizing that women often manage goat herds at the household level. A development advisor interviewed in late 2024 summarized it well:“If Ethiopia unlocks even 10% more productivity from its goat sector, the ripple effects will be transformative for rural poverty and national export earnings.”With its 52.5 million goats, Ethiopia’s challenge for 2025 and beyond is not herd size, it’s converting that biological wealth into structured economic value that lifts millions out of poverty while meeting rising domestic and international demand.

1. Nigeria

Nigeria’s position at the summit of Africa’s goat economy is unequivocal. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Lagos officereports that Nigeria held about 88 million goats (2022 stock), the continent’s largest herd by a clear margin, and that goat meat is Nigeria’s third most-consumed meat after beef and chicken. The same 2025 brief adds vital texture: goats are widely kept “as domestic animals” rather than in large commercial units, which helps explain their ubiquity in both rural and peri-urban livelihoods. Crucially, the government’s creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development in 2024 signals a push to modernize the broader livestock system, feed, genetics, and market organization, changes that will inevitably touch the goat value chain as well.

At household level, goats are everywhere. National survey data summarized in the USDA brief show about 42% of Nigerian livestock-keeping households raise goats, underscoring their role as everyday assets, liquid savings that can be sold quickly for school fees, health costs, or seasonal shocks. The report captures this reality crisply: “Goats serve as a flexible financial reserve for the rural population and play an important socio-cultural role.” Their resilience is buttressed by breed diversity and ecology: West African Dwarf goats dominate humid and forest zones, Sokoto Red are widespread in the north, and Sahel goats thrive along the country’s arid frontier, together making goats productive from rainforest edges to semi-arid rangelands.

Market conditions in 2024–2025 have been challenging, and revealing. Food inflation and transport costs have pushed red-meat prices up, and festive-season demand (especially around Eid al-Adha) amplified sticker shock across West Africa; reporting from June 2025 documented sharp increases in small-ruminant prices that strained household budgets and dampened market throughput. Nigeria’s own data in the USDA brief note that goat meat often prices above beef and poultry, a premium that “limits consumption” for lower-income buyers even as urban demand stays firm. The net effect: households keep goats as financial buffers more than ever, but consumers face harder choices at the butcher’s stall, an affordability squeeze with nutrition and equity implications.

Looking ahead, policy and productivity levers matter. In April 2024, authorities registered eight improved pasture/forage varieties (including Napier grass and Rhodes grass), a small but pivotal step toward year-round feed, healthier herds, and faster turnoff, particularly for semi-intensive peri-urban goat fattening. The Livestock Ministry’s broader agenda, better animal health, water and fodder systems, and statistics, should reduce losses, stabilize supply, and entice private investment in breeding, veterinary services, and processing. As one USDA analysisframes it, modernization aims to “transform Nigeria’s livestock sector into a sustainable and globally competitive industry” and given goats’ massive footprint, even incremental gains in kid survival, growth rates, or carcass yield will ripple through rural incomes, women’s enterprise (where goat husbandry is prominent), and protein access for millions.