{"id":25180,"date":"2025-10-07T13:55:48","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T13:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/?p=25180"},"modified":"2025-10-07T14:00:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:00:33","slug":"lagos-unveils-bold-agenda-for-food-security-as-olusanya-flags-off-2025-world-food-day-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/?p=25180","title":{"rendered":"Lagos Unveils Bold Agenda for Food Security as Olusanya Flags Off 2025 World Food Day Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring food security and sustainable agricultural growth as it begins activities marking the 2025 World Food Day Celebration.<\/p>\n

Speaking during a press briefing held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, <\/span>Ms. Abisola Olusanya<\/span>, reaffirmed the State\u2019s dedication to building a resilient and inclusive food system that guarantees access to safe and nutritious food for all Lagosians.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Olusanya noted that this year\u2019s global theme \u2014 <\/span>\u201cHand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future\u201d<\/span> \u2014 underscores the need for stronger collaboration among government, private sector players, and development partners to drive innovation and sustainability across the agricultural value chain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFood security means that all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for an active and healthy life,\u201d she said. \u201cFor Lagos, feeding a population of over 22 million people requires innovative strategies, bold investments, and strong partnerships.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Commissioner highlighted the State\u2019s ongoing implementation of the <\/span>Five-Year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap (2021\u20132025)<\/span>, which targets 40% food self-sufficiency by the end of the year, up from 20% in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

She outlined several flagship programmes designed to transform the sector, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Lagos Central Food Security Systems and Logistics Hub<\/span>, currently at an advanced stage in Epe, with additional mid-level hubs under construction in Agege, Ibeju-Lekki, Ikeja, and Lagos Island.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Produce for Lagos Programme<\/span>, which guarantees farmers structured offtake agreements to stabilize prices and improve farmers\u2019 income.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Lagos Rice Mill, Imota<\/span>, the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, producing 2.5 million 50kg bags of rice annually and creating thousands of jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Eko Agro Mechanization Programme (EKO AGROMECS)<\/span>, connecting smallholder farmers to tractors and modern equipment through a digital platform.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Lagos Agripreneurship Programme (LAP)<\/span>, which has trained over 4,400 young farmers and women, empowering 2,000 with assets and startup support.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Lagos Agric Scholars Programme (LASP)<\/span>, promoting modern agricultural education in schools through aquaponics, hydroponics, and smart farming systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Cattle Feedlot Project<\/span> in Epe, designed to produce over 100,000 healthy cattle annually, ensuring safe and traceable beef for consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Lagos Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (LACE)<\/span>, a public-private project set to produce 50 million fingerlings and 24,000 tonnes of aquafeed annually.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Eko Last Mile Meat Shops and Butchers Academy<\/span>, aimed at transforming meat handling, food hygiene, and youth employment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Lagos Agrithon 2.0<\/span>, an agritech competition with \u20a6150 million in grants for innovative startups in the food systems sector.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Ounje Eko Farmer Subsidy Programme<\/span>, which provided 25% subsidies on feeds, fertilizers, and mechanization services to over 5,000 farmers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Eko Flavour (Junior and Senior)<\/span> culinary contests, nurturing culinary creativity and food innovation among young Lagosians.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Olusanya also announced activities lined up for the World Food Day celebration, including a <\/span>Road Walk<\/span> on Wednesday, October 8, from JJT Park to Allen Avenue; a <\/span>Lagos Agric Scholars Quiz Competition<\/span> on October 14 at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa; and the <\/span>Grand Finale<\/span> on October 16 at Ikeja Police College Parade Ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

She expressed gratitude to partners including the <\/span>British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, Origin Tech Group, Zenith Bank, TGI Group, Olam Nigeria,<\/span> and <\/span>Providus Bank<\/span> for their continued support toward achieving the State\u2019s agricultural goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs we commemorate World Food Day 2025, I urge all stakeholders to join hands with the Lagos State Government to ensure that every household has access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food,\u201d Olusanya added.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Commissioner officially declared the <\/span>Y2025 World Food Day Celebration<\/span> open, reaffirming Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu\u2019s administration\u2019s unwavering commitment to sustainable food systems and economic prosperity for all residents.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring food security and sustainable agricultural growth as it begins activities marking the 2025 World Food Day Celebration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25182,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[11129,11128,6222,138,9643],"class_list":["post-25180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro","tag-2025-world-food-day-celebration","tag-bold-agenda","tag-food-security","tag-lagos","tag-olusanya"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25180"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25187,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25180\/revisions\/25187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}