Lagos State government has called for stronger food value chains and collaboration between food-producing and food-consuming states to tackle food insecurity reduce post-harvest losses and improve food availability.
The Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget Ope George said efficient storage transportation distribution and market access were essential to building a resilient and sustainable food system.
He spoke at the bi-yearly review of the implementation of Nigeria’s Food Systems Transformation Pathways (FSTP) and validation of the draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Southwest geopolitical zone.
George said Lagos as a major centre of consumption commerce and distribution depended on food supplies from other parts of the country including northern states making regional cooperation necessary to address challenges affecting the food value chain.
He said: ‘Our collective goal must be to strengthen food value chains improve market access for producers enhance food availability and build a more resilient and sustainable national food system.’
The commissioner said the review provided an opportunity to assess implementation progress identify gaps and agree on practical measures to accelerate food systems transformation.
He added that the draft SOP would provide guidance on coordination clarify responsibilities and promote consistent implementation reporting and accountability among participating institutions.
George urged stakeholders to ensure that the document was practical inclusive and responsive to the operational needs of states and institutions responsible for its implementation.
He said the meeting should produce a clear assessment of progress and outstanding challenges a validated SOP and concrete measures to strengthen coordination and accountability.
Also speaking Nigeria’s National Food Systems Convener Okoro Ebere said the review would enable stakeholders to assess achievements at federal and state levels document implementation challenges and share lessons and good practices.
Ebere said Nigeria developed its Food Systems Transformation Pathways following the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit to improve food security nutrition livelihoods and environmental sustainability.
She said the draft SOP was designed to establish clear operational guidelines define responsibilities and strengthen coordination among stakeholders involved in implementing the pathways.
According to her the document requires contributions from states and geopolitical zones to ensure that it reflects the realities of implementation.
Ebere said food systems transformation required the participation of government institutions the private sector civil society organisations academia and development partners.
She identified climate change insecurity malnutrition post-harvest losses and rising food prices as interconnected challenges requiring coordinated action and evidence-based decisions.
She also highlighted the importance of using available data including information from the Food Systems Dashboard and State of Nutrition Dashboard to guide policy decisions.
Ebere reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning’s commitment to coordinating the implementation of the pathways in collaboration with relevant ministries departments and agencies state governments and other stakeholders.
The Permanent Secretary Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget Mrs Olayinka Ojo said the engagement would help stakeholders review progress exchange experiences and identify implementation gaps.
Ojo said collaboration across states and geopolitical zones was essential to building resilient food systems given Lagos’ strong food supply links with other parts of the country.
She added that food systems transformation was critical to economic growth job creation and improved livelihoods.