Sanwo-Olu: Lagos Can Drive National Food Security Through Innovation, Private Sector Collaboration

 

By Kayode Olopade 

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has stated that with sustained collaboration between government, the private sector, and young innovators, Lagos has the capacity to produce food at a scale that will significantly strengthen Nigeria’s food security architecture.

Sanwo-Olu made this known on Thursday at the Lagos Agrinnovation Summit 2.0, held in Victoria Island, Lagos, with the theme: “Thriving Systems for a Smarter Future.” The Governor was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Sam Egube.

He noted that the agricultural value chain has expanded beyond traditional planting and harvesting, stressing that despite its limited landmass, Lagos continues to drive innovation capable of transforming food production and distribution nationwide.

“If the market determines how value is allocated in the value chain, then I am pleased to say you are in the right place,” he said. “Innovation is central to the President’s strategy and to the State’s strategy, and we are here to focus on this bold vision to leap Nigeria forward. We believe in investing and partnering with the private sector in food systems and logistics.”

Egube added that Lagos, as the biggest market in West Africa, must play a leading role in mobilising production, strengthening distribution channels, and stimulating creativity among young people to solve food challenges with technology.

“It’s not just about planting seeds. It’s about how those seeds move from the soil to the plate. With innovation and determination, we can overcome historic limitations around land size. Lagos stands for making the impossible possible,” he said.

He further noted that ongoing improvements in logistics and food markets will attract producers from across the country as the State positions itself as the engine of Nigeria’s agricultural productivity.

Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, said her mission is to build a Lagos where no child goes to bed hungry and where food is fresh, affordable, accessible, and largely produced within the State.

She emphasised the importance of a youth-led agricultural ecosystem:

“My vision has always been to create a resilient and efficient machinery where young agripreneurs, creators and thinkers drive innovation across the food system. Feeding a city of over 24 million people requires collaboration, not competition.”

Olusanya described the Agrinnovation Club as central to the State’s “Produce for Lagos” initiative, aimed at strengthening production, linking rural farmers to urban markets, and ensuring Lagos increasingly consumes what it produces.

Delivering the keynote address, the Managing Director of Sterling Bank, Mr. Abubakar Sulaimon, highlighted Lagos’ unique value chain advantages, noting that the State’s food system serves more than 50 million people across the region.

“The greatest value in the food chain lies in consumption, not just production. The real value is created when people interact with food. Agriculture doesn’t end on the farm; it ends on the plate,” he stated.