Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, on Wednesday, inaugurated the Agege Fresh Food Hub to strengthen food security and improve food distribution across the state.

Mr Sanwo-Olu described the facility as a critical component of his administration’s strategy to strengthen food security.

The governor said that food security was central to the development, stability and prosperity of Lagos, stressing that a city that could not feed its people would not effectively plan for sustainable growth.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said the state’s food economy was valued at more than N1.6 trillion.

He said that more than 75 per cent of food consumed in Lagos was produced outside the state and had to pass through complex and fragmented supply chains before reaching consumers.

He said the situation made it imperative for the government to address not only food production but also aggregation, transport, storage, processing, financing, regulation and distribution.

“Food security is not just a production challenge; it is a system challenge.

“We must aggregate better, move food faster, store food better, process food better, finance it better and regulate better,” Mr Sanwo-Olu said.

He said his administration was developing an integrated food system that would connect farmers, aggregators, processors, logistics operators, traders and consumers from the point of production to the dining table.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said that the Agege facility was part of a wider network of food hubs being established across Lagos to bring modern food infrastructure closer to communities and improve the efficiency of food distribution.

He said the state had already inaugurated the Fresh Food Hub, Abijo and was developing similar facilities in other parts of Lagos as part of efforts to create a connected food distribution network.

According to him, the Agege facility would provide modern trading, storage and logistics infrastructure.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said that the facility would reduce food losses, improve market access for farmers and create opportunities for traders and other participants in the agricultural value chain.

“The long-term objective is unambiguous: We want to have structured modern food hubs in almost every part of Lagos State so that no community is left outside the network,” he said.

The governor said the state was also matching infrastructure investment with human-capital development.

He cited the training of farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs, as well as programmes designed to encourage young people to pursue careers in agriculture.

He said that more than 4,000 young people had been engaged through the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme.

Mr Sanwo-Olu added that the state had also introduced agricultural programmes in schools to expose students to opportunities in the sector.

He said the state was investing in the development of a modern food ecosystem since the government alone could not guarantee food security.

“We need the private sector, farmers, financial institutions, logistics operators, traders, technology providers, development partners and our communities.

“All of us are indispensable,” he said.

He said the success of the food system would be measured by whether farmers would earn better returns, traders would expand their businesses, consumers would have access to nutritious food at affordable prices, and investors would continue to have confidence in Lagos.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said the Agege Fresh Food Hub represented a transition from infrastructure development to the operation of an integrated food system.

“We are moving from construction to operation, from projects to a system, and from promise to performance,” he said.

The governor commended the partners in the project and inaugurated the food hub for use by residents, traders, farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture value chain.

Earlier, the chairman of Agege Local Government, Ganiyu Obasa, said that the facility represented a new chapter in the economic life of Agege and an opportunity to strengthen the local food system.

“Today is not merely about commissioning another physical structure.

“We are commissioning an idea, an opportunity, a stronger food system and, most importantly, a new chapter in the economic life of Agege,” he said.

He commended the Lagos State government for investing in modern market and agro-food infrastructure, noting that the initiative would strengthen the connection between farmers, aggregators, traders, distributors and consumers.

Mr Obasa said the strategic location of Agege made the facility particularly important because of the area’s longstanding commercial activities and its position as a major commercial corridor linking communities and markets.

“For generations, our people have demonstrated resilience, entrepreneurship and ingenuity, building businesses that have become sources of livelihood for families and communities.

“This fresh food hub adds another important dimension to that economic identity,” he said.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said the Agege Fresh Food Hub was designed as an important node in the state’s emerging food distribution network.

Ms Olusanya said the facility would support aggregation, storage, logistics, wholesale and retail distribution while helping to address food losses, traffic congestion associated with food trading and inadequate storage facilities.

She said the project was supported by a 351-page operating framework covering operator selection, produce receiving and quality control, storage management, sanitation, waste management and the use of training facilities.

According to her, the facility occupies about 7,000 square metres and includes a 4,000-square-metre trading floor, cold-storage facilities, rice storage capacity, seafood facilities, vehicle parking and electric-vehicle charging points.

Ms Olusanya said the facility was projected to facilitate more than five billion Naira in food transactions, adding that its commercial operations would be fully developed through an organised onboarding and governance system.

She said the project was intended to demonstrate what a modern food market could offer and eventually serve as a benchmark for food shopping facilities in Lagos, Nigeria and Africa.

The commissioner said the hub was not an isolated market but part of a wider network of food distribution facilities being developed by the Lagos State government.

She commended the state government, partners, ministries, departments and agencies involved in the delivery of the project, saying their contributions had helped transform the vision into physical infrastructure.

She said the ultimate objective was to establish an efficient and connected food system capable of moving food from farms to markets in a safer, faster and more organised manner. 

(NAN)