Against a background of limited government resources, partnerships that bring together businesses, government and civil society are increasingly important for boosting agricultural production in Africa’s most populous country amid a worsening food crisis.
Rising food intervention efforts have been necessitated by climate change, worsening insecurity, climate change and an unabating rise in food inflation in Nigeria.
Nigeria faces one of its worst hunger crises with 33 million people expected to be food insecure next year, a one-third jump from 2024 due to economic hardship, according to a recent joint report by the government and United Nations.
Early in the year, the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) showed deep vulnerabilities in the food production segment in a report.
Seeing the poor state of food production and the deep vulnerabilities in the food production segment, it has become imperative for the government to take action to address the noticeable vulnerabilities.
According to experts, a practical model for addressing the issues must be developed and robustly rolled out to ensure maximum impact.
Experts identified public-private partnership (PPP) as the key to unlocking the full agricultural potential in Nigeria, with the capacity to create millions of jobs.
They noted that the model for addressing the challenges in the food value chain is a partnership framework between the government, private sector and donor agencies with the scale to back up the national food security agenda.
An example of such models is the recent collaborative effort between the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Olam Agri operations in Nigeria through the Eko World Food Day initiative.
As part of activities to mark the 2024 World Food Day, which is themed ‘Right to food for a better life and a better future,’ the Lagos state government initiated the Eko World Food Day.
The move was to rally stakeholders in the food production segment to accelerate actions and invest boldly in activities necessary to improve food availability and accessibility in the state. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu echoed the effort during a speech.
“Lagos, despite being the smallest state in the country, has the largest population. With about 22 percent of our territory comprising water bodies, we face unique challenges in achieving food security,” he said.
“My administration is fully committed to addressing these challenges. We have focused on strengthening the agricultural value chain to reduce food prices, develop an effective food reserve system, and ensure food sufficiency,” he added.
The focus on strengthening the agricultural value chain led to the state’s partnership with Olam – a leading food and agro-allied manufacturer. It is believed that combining Olam Agri’s operating capabilities and strategic food manufacturing assets with the state would substantially impact the food production systems.
Read also: NiMet, Livestock Institute collaborate to boost climate-smart agriculture
How it started
Olam Agri, the agribusiness in food, feed, and fibre, is not new to engaging with governments at the federal or state level to drive the transformation of food systems.
The business, founded in the country in 1989, keeps investing in raising efficiency in the rice, grains, animal feed, edible oil and sesame value chains.
For instance, its impressive investment in a 13,500-hectare rice farm and mill in Nasarawa state, which produces 215,000 mts of rice per day for the local market, is a critical factor in making rice more accessible for the national population and reducing reliance on imported brands.
Also, through the country’s state-of-the-art flour and feed mills, the business caters to the surging demands for wheat-derivative foods such as bread, semolina pasta, and protein foods.
Its investments are robustly impacting edible oil and sesame production, creating export opportunities for local produce. A soybean crushing facility will be added to its extensive processing capacity early next year.
The latest partnership with the Lagos State Government under the Eko Word Food Day umbrella reinforced the business’s commitment to partnering with the government to make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production.
Key actions to drive the Eko World Food Day partnership focus include sponsoring a series of impactful food system discourses highlighting the importance of ramping up domestic food production and promoting healthy diets for residents.
Farmers in the state came together to dissect hurdles to productivity in the value chain.
Other activities included a road walk organised to stimulate state-wide participation in food production, an Agricultural Scholars Quiz Competition for secondary school students culminating in the launch of a farming club in schools, and a grand finale hosted by the Lagos State Governor, where farmers showcased varieties of local produce.
“Olam Agri is an essential partner in transforming the Lagos food production landscape,” Bisola Olusanya, Lagos State commissioner for Agriculture, said while lauding Olam’s partnership agenda.
“Their robust production, processing, packaging, and distribution capacity is critical in scaling growth across the food value chain,” she said.
“This partnership with the state government is essential for achieving our shared goals in food security,” she added.
Meanwhile, in addition to supporting the state’s food system’s transformative agenda, the organisation partnered with the Lagos Food Bank to distribute 800 food boxes, valued at N13 million, to vulnerable residents.
For a breakdown, five hundred food boxes went to vulnerable residents of Makoko and Ajegunle and 300 food boxes were allocated towards hunger relief in flood-affected areas of Maiduguri, supporting displaced individuals with much-needed food aid.
Beyond Lagos, the business committed boreholes in Baure and Agon, two key farming communities in Nasarawa where the company operates rice and sesame units to be commissioned this October.
These boreholes will provide clean drinking water, enhance food security, and boost agricultural productivity by reducing the risks of waterborne diseases and improving overall community health.
Anil Nair, managing director of Olam Agri Nigeria, emphasised the company’s dedication to food security, stating that the business is committed to expanding access to quality, nutritious, affordable food for all Nigerians.
“Our market investment and CR&S initiatives directly contribute to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope agenda and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger.”
“Olam Agri’s support for the Eko World Food Day initiative aligns with the Seeds for the Future initiative, our Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability initiative targeted at supporting government priorities in key growth areas to foster prosperity in the host communities,” he added.
Why a robust public-private food security partnership is essential
The private sector warehouses valuable capabilities vital in confronting the country’s current food value chain challenges.
The government provides legal and regulatory incentives to combat bottlenecks that may stand in the path of execution.
The Eko World Food Day collaborative model has already signalled the path to addressing the challenges in the value chain. The model provides a scaled approach to solving challenges of exceeding magnitude.
With the percentage of food-insecure Nigerians on the increase, more partnership collaboration efforts must be targeted to improve the national food systems. The impact of the efforts will be felt in the long term.
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