The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) and stakeholders in agriculture sector have called for stronger innovation, investment, and policy reforms to build a resilient sector and secure Nigeria’s path to food security.
The President of NBCC, Mr Abimbola Olashore, said at the NBCC Agriculture and Agro-Allied Summit 2026 with the theme: “Ensuring Food Security in Nigeria: Innovations, Investments and Policy for a Resilient Future” in Lagos that Nigeria was at a defining moment where food security had evolved beyond an agricultural concern to become a central pillar of economic stability, national security and social well-being.
Olashore noted that although Nigeria is richly endowed with vast arable land, a youthful population and entrepreneurial capacity, the country continued to face significant barriers to achieving sustainable food security.
According to him, climate variability, supply chain inefficiencies, limited mechanisation, post-harvest losses and restricted access to finance remain major challenges confronting the sector.
“However, these challenges also present opportunities for reform and transformation through climate-smart agriculture, digital tools, improved market access and stronger agricultural value chains.
“Policy reform remains central to our collective ambition. Improving access to agricultural finance, strengthening land use systems, reducing post-harvest losses through infrastructure investment and enhancing agro-processing capacity must remain priorities,” he said.
Olashore also urged Nigeria to leverage emerging global trade opportunities such as the United Kingdom’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme to expand agro-exports and strengthen integration into global value chains.
He reaffirmed NBCC’s commitment to advancing bilateral trade and investment between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, especially in strategic sectors such as agriculture.
“Through structured partnerships, knowledge exchange, and private sector collaboration, we believe Nigeria can unlock its full agricultural potential and move closer to achieving lasting food security,” he said.
In his speech, a retired Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Olayiwole Onasanya, stated that between 30.6 million and 35 million Nigerians are facing acute food insecurity as of late 2025 and early 2026.
Onasanya attributed the crisis to conflict, high food inflation and climate shocks, particularly in the North-East and North-West regions of Nigeria..
He said that government interventions, including agricultural financing and recapitalisation of development finance institutions, had recorded mixed outcomes due to insecurity, inflation and global conflicts.
According to him, the Nigerian Government approved a N1.5 trillion recapitalisation for the Bank of Agriculture and additional N250 billion low-interest loan facility for farmers.
He also disclosed plans to recapitalise the Bank of Industry (BoI) with N3 trillion.
Onasanya noted that Nigeria has continued to record post-harvest losses of between 30 and 40 per cent for perishable goods due to poor storage facilities, weak transportation systems and inadequate market linkages.
“With Nigeria’s population projected to hit 400 million by 2050, food production must increase by over 250 per cent.
“This requires massive investments and stronger collaboration among the three tiers of government,” he said.
He advocated a 10-year agricultural master plan driven by a value-chain approach and involving all stakeholders in the sector.
Onasanya also called for land reforms, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, mechanisation, agricultural insurance and transition from subsistence farming to agribusiness-driven production systems.
GIK/APA