Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The Lagos State Government has finalised plans to launch a N500 billion ‘Produce for Lagos’ initiative Tuesday, July 23, 2025, in a major push to tackle food insecurity and boost production.
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, revealed that the landmark offtaker programme has been in the works for over six years, dating back to the start of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
“We have been working tirelessly to ensure that Lagos State becomes more food-secure, but achieving that goal requires partnerships across and beyond the state,” Olusanya said.
Olusanya explained that the state’s limited land size means it cannot meet its food demand alone, prompting the creation of a two-part programme: ‘Produce in Lagos’ and ‘Produce for Lagos’.
“Lagos plays a critical role in the food value chain in sub-Saharan Africa, acting as a major market,” she said.
She highlighted several ongoing support schemes such as the Ounje Eko Farmer Subsidy Programme, the Ounje Eko Food Discount Market, and collaborations with the World Bank and Federal Government through the APPEALS and Lagos CARES programmes.
The commissioner also pointed to training and capacity-building efforts, including the Lagos agric scholars programme for students and the Lagos agripreneurship programme for young graduates.
“The state currently produces only about 40 per cent of what it consumes,” Olusanya noted, adding that the growing population makes it imperative to “look beyond our borders.”
She further recalled Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos Trader Money initiative, which provided 15,000 market women with N50,000 each, totalling N750 million, as an example of the government’s consistent support for food system stakeholders.
