Agrofood Nigeria 2026 Emphasizes Need for Value Chain Overhaul to Unlock €222bn Food Market
The 11th edition of agrofood Nigeria once again convened leading companies, innovators, and decision-makers from Nigeria and around the world to explore pathways for strengthening value chains, boosting productivity, and supporting the ongoing development of Nigeria’s vibrant agrofood industries.
Organized by fairtrade Messe in partnership with local firm Modion Communications, this year’s event spanned multiple sectors, including agro, food and beverage technology, ingredients, packaging, and food & hospitality. Over the three days, 137 exhibitors showcased their innovations and solutions.
During the conference in Lagos on Tuesday, key industry figures, including the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu (represented by Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Ruth Abiola Olusanya), First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, H.E. Helen Eno-Obareki, fairtrade Messe Managing Director Paul Marz, Bismarck Rewane of Financial Derivatives Company Ltd, Chief Debo Akande representing Oyo State, H.E. Bengt van Loosdrecht, Ambassador of the Netherlands, Otunba Francis Meshioye, President of the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN), and Engr. (Dr.) Jani Ibrahim, MNI, OON, President of NACCIMA, emphasized Nigeria’s immense potential as a key agro-allied nation.
Addressing the conference theme, “Achieving World-Class Food Security in Nigeria,” stakeholders highlighted the urgency of transforming agriculture from subsistence activity into a catalyst for industrial growth, trade expansion, and inclusive economic development. They projected that Nigeria’s food market could reach approximately €222 billion by 2026, with robust annual growth anticipated in subsequent years.
In his keynote speech, Governor Sanwo-Olu stated, “Lagos is not just Nigeria’s commercial capital — we are Africa’s largest single food consumption market. Our food economy has more than doubled in just six years, rising from N6.5 trillion in 2019 to over N16 trillion today. Lagos alone consumes more than half of all food traded across the entire South-West.” He added, “And as the state that contributes 22 per cent of Nigeria’s entire GDP, with our own economy projected to approach ₦66 trillion this year, we are the natural gateway and the biggest, most structured market any serious player in agro-processing, cold chain, packaging, or food technology can ever hope to reach on this continent.”
Bismarck Rewane, Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company Ltd., warned about the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict, emphasizing that Nigeria’s agricultural sector should brace for potential adverse effects due to spiraling global economic tensions.
Mr. Alexander Isong, President of the Organization for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA), lamented that cold chain infrastructure remains underdeveloped in Nigeria, hindering the industry’s potential. “The real bottleneck is no longer on the farm. It is everything that happens after the harvest,” he explained. “Last year alone, Nigeria lost between ₦3.5 trillion and ₦5 trillion — that is 30 to 40 million metric tonnes of food — to post-harvest waste, mainly because of poor storage and broken logistics. Over 97 per cent of our agricultural exports still leave the country completely unprocessed.”
MAN’s President highlighted that global hunger remains a pressing issue, with approximately 733 million people facing hunger in 2023, according to the United Nations World Food Programme. “Our primary concern is that the African region is experiencing the most severe hunger,” he noted.
NACCIMA’s National President reaffirmed that achieving world-class food security in Nigeria is both feasible and within reach. “It will require intentionality, sustained investment, and a shared commitment to transforming our agricultural sector into a globally competitive, value-driven industry,” he said.
This year’s agrofood Nigeria hosted exhibitors from four continents and fifteen countries, including Austria, Belgium (with an official pavilion), China, Denmark (official pavilion), France, Germany (official pavilion), India, Malaysia, the Netherlands (official pavilion), Nigeria, Poland, South Africa (official pavilion), the UAE, the UK, and the USA.
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