With the official launch of the Produce for Lagos initiative and the N500 billion Offtake Guarantee Fund, an initiative of the state government aimed at boosting food security, reducing imports and enhancing agricultural productivity, Lagos State has moved to redefine its role in Nigeria’s food economy—no longer just as a consumer hub, but as the centre of a coordinated national effort to link food production with structured market access. The initiative will be implemented through the Lagos Food Systems Infrastructure Company (LAFSINCO), and supported by key Special Purpose Vehicles like the Lagos Bulk Trading Company, Ekolog (Eko Logistics), and the Produce for Lagos Fund. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state, speaking at the launch event held at Lagos House, Ikeja described the initiative as a culmination of years of research, planning, and strategic investment. “Today is a watershed moment,” he declared, citing how Lagos consumes over 50% of food traded in the Southwest but loses nearly half of it before it reaches market due to poor logistics and storage. Backed by years of data and supported by a growing food economy now valued at N16.14 trillion, the governor said the programme is not just about fixing the supply chain, but it’s about building a new ecosystem where policy, finance, infrastructure, and real-time data work together to create a resilient and efficient food system. According to him, “the N500 billion Offtake Guarantee Fund will serve as a financial anchor for the new model. It will offer working capital to aggregators, liquidity to logistics providers, credit access for food producers, and financing for bulk traders. “This fund is not a subsidy. It is an investment vehicle that will catalyze private capital and de-risk operations across the value chain.” He noted that his administration has significantly increased the agriculture budget from N4.2 billion in 2018 to nearly N80 billion today, the highest in the State’s history. “This for us was a bold affirmation that food is economic infrastructure, deserving of the same attention as transport or energy. To reinforce our commitment to reform, in 2024, we renamed the Ministry of Agriculture to Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems; an intentional step to reflect the complexity and integration we now demand of our food system strategy.” He emphasised that the renewed commitment – which is fully aligned with the National Policy on Agriculture, and the food security vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda – has helped deliver the following impactful programmes and more: Ounje Eko Discount Markets; The N500 million Ounje Eko Farmers Subsidy Program; The Central Food Security Systems & Logistics Hub (Epe)—the largest food hub under construction in West Africa The Middle Level Agroproduce Hub; and The Lagos Agripreneurship Program (LAP). Others are the Lagos Agric Scholars Programme (LASP) an initiative aimed at exposing secondary school students to sustainable farming skills to stimulate their interest in agriculture; the Eko Agro Mechanization Programme; the Agric Value Chain Enterprise Activation Program (AVCEAP); the Igbodu Feedlot Project (Lagos Cattle Ranch); as well as a new Food Hub Bill currently under consideration by the Lagos State House of Assembly, to formalise market operations and reduce informal trading constraints. “The Produce for Lagos Program, which we are launching today, is the next logical step in our roadmap. The programme will provide guaranteed offtake contracts, financing access, and logistics support, connecting us all directly with Lagos’s dynamic food economy. It will boost agricultural production and reduce reliance on informal and uncoordinated supply channels, create jobs for our youth and increase economic returns for all ecosystem stakeholders.” Sanwo-Olu, further said that the program’s reach will be national. He outlined structured partnerships with major agricultural states including Benue, Taraba, Niger, Ogun, Kaduna, and Oyo. These relationships are central to the idea that Lagos’s market power can help structure food economies across the country, giving farmers confidence to produce, financiers confidence to invest, and consumers access to food at fair prices. He explained that the state will also deploy 150 cold and dry trucks—the largest fleet of its kind in the region—in partnership with private logistics firms. He said: “These are not just trucks, but part of a wider logistics architecture that will move food more efficiently, reduce waste, and protect incomes across the chain. “All of it will be guided by data. The state has developed a food data repository that tracks consumption and origin, which will help align production planning with actual market needs. He thereby called for broad-based partnership across sectors, states, and regions. “Let us collaborate across borders, build resilient infrastructure, and secure our food future not just for Lagos, but for Nigeria,” he said. Abisola Olusanya, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems in her address focused on equity and coordination, stressing that what’s lacking in Nigeria is not food, but systems that connect producers with buyers and rural abundance with urban demand. “From the red soils of Anambra to the green fields of Kwara, from the granaries of Niger to the fertile belts of Taraba, your presence here today tells one story – that our food systems matter, and the time to act is now. We are gathered not merely for another ceremony, but to light a fire that should never go out with the intention that we must build a truly sovereign food system. “Today, we launch a bold, history-shaping intervention to rewire our food chain, reconnect our rural abundance with urban demand, and reward those who farm, trade, transport, and nourish us. “This is the justice demanded by the tomato farmer in Zaria whose harvest rots on the roadside, and the pepper trader in Mile 12 who pays double for logistics yet earns half for her labour,” she said. She pointed to innovations like the Lagos Fresh Food Hubs, the Lagos Agrinnovation Club, and community-centred events such as the Lagos Food Festival, which blend agriculture, enterprise, and culture in a way that links livelihoods to dignity. “With Produce for Lagos, Lagos will no longer be fed by chance, but by coordination and shared responsibility.” General Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), in his remarks commended the Lagos state government for the initiative, stressing that the model being created is not only set to enhance food production and logistics across the state, but could serve as a scalable framework for improving livelihoods and national resilience. He also expressed the readiness of the armed forces to support the Produce for Lagos Programme initiative, stressing that resilient food systems are critical to the nation’s peace and economic stability. He praised the data-driven approach of the state in tackling agricultural inefficiencies and building stronger value chains, adding that Food security is one of the most effective non-kinetic tools for combating insecurity, poverty, and unemployment. Prince S. J. Samuel, Chairman of Origin Tech Group, reaffirmed the private sector’s commitment to Lagos State’s agricultural transformation and emphasized the need for stronger public-private partnerships to enhance food security in Lagos and across Nigeria. Speaking during the event, Governors Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Mohammed Bago of Niger State, Agbu Kefas of Taraba and Usman Ododo of Kogi commended Governor Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State Government for the bold initiative on food security. The governors expressed readiness to partner with Lagos State in the areas of comparative advantages in boosting food security, not only in Lagos state but in Nigeria as a whole. Bosun Tijani, The Minister for Digital Economy, Idi Maiha, the Minister of Livestock and Doris Aniete, the Minister of State for Finance, all commended the initiative of the Lagos state government which is aimed at boosting food security, reducing imports, and enhancing agricultural productivity across the country. They expressed their support for the Produce for Lagos Programme. At a time when food inflation, urban hunger, and rural-urban disconnects define much of Nigeria’s food challenges, Produce for Lagos signals a shift in thinking—from fragmented responses to system-wide coordination. It is a bold promise that if food is grown anywhere in Nigeria, Lagos will take it— through structure, investment, and shared prosperity.