Sanwo-Olu Commissions Agege Agro-Produce Hub, Targets Stronger Food Security.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commissioned a new mid-level agro-produce hub in Agege as part of the state government’s efforts to strengthen food security, improve food distribution and reduce inefficiencies across the food supply chain.

The commissioning of the facility at Pen Cinema, Agege, is part of the Lagos State Government’s broader Food Systems Transformation Agenda, which seeks to improve the movement of food from producers to consumers while making the process more efficient and affordable. 

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Sanwo-Olu said his administration began rethinking Lagos’ food system in 2021 after recognising that increasing food production alone would not be enough to meet the needs of the state’s rapidly growing population.

According to the governor, Lagos has a population of more than 25 million people and remains one of Nigeria’s largest food markets. However, more than 70 percent of the food consumed in the state is produced outside Lagos, meaning food often travels long distances through fragmented supply chains before reaching consumers. 

He said the situation contributes to high transportation costs, post-harvest losses, inadequate storage, supply disruptions and fluctuations in food prices, making it necessary for the state to address the entire food chain rather than focusing only on agricultural production.

Sanwo-Olu explained that the state’s strategy covers the entire process, from production and aggregation to logistics, processing and eventual distribution to markets.

He described the newly commissioned Agege hub as part of this wider approach, saying such facilities can shorten supply chains, reduce unnecessary layers of middlemen, improve the handling of agricultural produce and make food distribution more efficient. 

The governor also highlighted other initiatives under the state’s food and agriculture programme. These include the Lagos Agric Scholars Programme, which is aimed at encouraging interest in agriculture among students in more than 440 secondary schools across the state.

He also mentioned the Lagos State Butchers Academy, established to train butchers in modern and hygienic meat-processing practices.

Another major project highlighted by the governor is the Lagos Rice Mill at Imota, which he described as the largest of its kind in Africa.

 According to him, the facility produced more than 250,000 50kg bags of Eko Rice within the past year, including the newly introduced fortified variety designed to provide additional nutrients. 

Sanwo-Olu further said the Agege facility is not an isolated project but part of a developing network of mid-level agro-produce hubs across Lagos.

The network includes the Fresh Food Hub in Mushin, which was commissioned in December 2023, and another facility in Abijo, which was commissioned earlier in 2026. The government says these facilities are designed to bring food distribution closer to consumers and improve the efficiency of the supply chain. 

The governor said the development of the hubs reflects his administration’s broader objective of building a food system capable of supporting Lagos’ growing population while improving access to food.