Nigeria’s Lagos State is broadening its food-security strategy to account for businesses beyond farming, Agriculture and Food Systems Commissioner Abisola Olusanya said at an event, BusinessDay reported.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu described food security as a global concern, saying countries at different stages of development continue to face the challenge. At Thursday’s Lagos Food Systems Nexus, he said the state was funding its plan with backing from the private sector, other state governments and the federal government.
The state began its Food Road Master Plan roughly four years earlier and still aims to carry it out, Sanwo-Olu said. He told attendees that farmers, industry leaders and young entrepreneurs had a role in carrying out the plan.
Olusanya said the Nexus marked a milestone in a five-year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap that broadens the state’s approach beyond farm production. She cited Chowdeck as one business illustrating the wider range of activity linked to food security.
“A country can increase agricultural production and still struggle with food insecurity,” Olusanya said. She argued that the challenge requires attention to the wider food economy.
Olusanya said the ministry provided grants and helped build an ecosystem for innovation. She identified Yanmife, Foluso, Etimbuk, Favor and Baliqees as young entrepreneurs featured at the event, describing them as being in their 20s and early 30s. She said they had expanded their businesses and created opportunities for others.
