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In a society where the majority of girls and women are confined to housework or simple agricultural labor, breaking down social and gender stereotypes can be extremely difficult.

But not for this 30-year-old Nigerian PhD student in animal production at the Université d'Abdou Moumouni in the capital, Niamey. The Université d'Abdou Moumouni is Niger's oldest institution of higher education and has the largest number of students.

"There are many people who wonder why I spend so many years studying rather than getting married, but I have no other priority than completing my studies and contributing to the growth of my country. Studying and getting married are not incompatible. When the time comes, I'll find a husband," reassures Halidou Maiga Naffisatou.

Naffisatou is one of the pioneering students in the Master's program in animal production, funded by the West African Agricultural Productivity Program (PPAAO). She was one of three students in a class of 16. She graduated in 2017 and has enrolled for a PhD. She is due to graduate in 2020.

"When I was doing my undergraduate studies, I told my supervisor that without a program in animal production, I wouldn't go on to higher education," she recalls.

Why?

"Because I've always loved animal production and breeding in general, but my motivation is linked to the fact that I see a lot of people in Niger who want to have quality, nutritious milk."

"It's this know-how that also guided my choice of research topic: what I do is increase livestock productivity and milk production," she adds with a smile.

Talking to Naffisatou, you get the impression that she really enjoys what she's doing, and that she seems to have chosen the right field of study to make her contribution to the challenges facing her country.

Naffisatou is currently working on artificial insemination, a method by which sperm from a male breeder is collected before being manually introduced into the female's reproductive tract.

Although debatable, this process has certain advantages, including improved livestock quality and increased production.

Although Nigeriens have a long tradition of animal husbandry, malnutrition rates remain relatively high, according to the West Africa Bureau of USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Naffisatou sees the long-term challenges facing her country. You can't respond to the food and nutritional insecurity of 20 million Nigeriens without adequate livestock programs".

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New researchers revitalize livestock research in Niger

Increasing agricultural research, Niger's path to salvation

Over the past ten years, most West African countries have invested heavily in training young researchers to make up for the shortage of agricultural scientists in their respective countries.

Overall, some 1,000 young scientists, of whom around 30% were women, received scholarships to pursue master's and doctoral studies in priority development fields in their countries.

In Niger, players have chosen to focus more on training researchers in the livestock sector. The creation of a Masters program at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Abdou Moumouni University has been particularly noteworthy in the context of the PPAAO capacity-building initiative in Niger.

Support included building infrastructure and paying for teaching time. In Niger's approach, the new master's program seeks to meet current and future needs. Overall, program management reports that two classes have graduated, with an insertion rate of around 95%.

In all, some 170 students have been trained in various areas of livestock farming in Niger.

Independent analyses have concluded that the program has made a substantial contribution to improving R&D capacity throughout West Africa.

Support the program

As with many development programs, state ownership of activities is crucial to their sustainability.

When we met the Vice-Rector of the University of Abdou Moumouni, who is also the coordinator of the PPAAO-funded program, he said that the university was increasingly taking on the costs of running the program.

The long-term strategy is to ensure that the program can stand on its own two feet," says Dr. Chaibou Mahamado.