Ope George, Lagos Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, has said that Nigeria requires coordinated policies and sustained collaboration to transform its food ecosystem beyond production to processing, storage, transportation and sustainable consumption.
‘Food systems transformation is a critical development priority, with far-reaching implications for food security, nutrition, employment, economic growth and household welfare,’ he said at the recent South-West bi-annual food systems transformation strategy review and validation of the draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
The Commissioner said that the effectiveness of any strategy was measured by its implementation and impact, adding that the bi-annual review provides an opportunity to assess progress, identify gaps, address emerging challenges and agree on practical measures to accelerate results.
He said that as a major centre of consumption, commerce and distribution, Lagos has strong food supply linkages with other parts of Nigeria, including the Northern states. ‘This interdependence underscores the importance of collaboration between food-producing and food-consuming regions to address challenges such as post-harvest losses, transportation costs, storage limitations and market inefficiencies.’
He added that the 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.
Abisola Olusanya, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, identified human capital development, infrastructure, technology and financing, and risk management as critical pillars for achieving sustainable agriculture and food security in the South-West, Nigeria.
‘We see human capital development as a key level that cannot be toyed with. We see infrastructure as being very critical. We see utilisation of technology as almost impossible to ignore,’ she said.
Olusanya explained that Lagos, though the smallest state by landmass and largely covered by water, remains Nigeria’s most densely populated and largest market city-state in sub-Saharan Africa. With high disposable income despite the high cost of living, any product brought to Lagos will sell, making market organisation imperative.
‘We are the largest market city-state. When we know we cannot feed ourselves, we must play on our strength to demystify our weakness. A lot of food comes into Lagos, but how is this food organised? How do we attest to quality, price and origin?’
Clementina Ebere Okoro, national convener, Food Systems Transformation, said the bi-annual review assesses implementation of the 78 priority actions adopted since 2021, including school farms for home-grown school feeding and homestead gardens agreed in March 2024.
She stressed the need for convergence of food, health, and transport systems, food-based dietary guidelines and nutrition labelling to ensure food and nutrition security.