By Our Reporter
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, said despite the small landmass, the state government has continued to stimulate innovations in the nation’s agriculture sector to boost food supply.
Governor Sanwo-Olu made this known, while speaking at the Lagos Agrinnovation Summit 2.0 held on Thursday at Victoria Island, Lagos with the theme: "Thriving Systems for a Smarter Future," saying that the agriculture value chain goes beyond planting and harvesting.
Agrinnovation Club was created by the state government through the State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, to serve as a bridge between young agripreneurs and the broader agricultural transformation agenda of the state.
The governor, who was represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS), Mr. Sam Egube, assured that the state government in partnership with the private sector and young innovators had what it takes to produce food massively for Nigeria.
Sanwo-Olu noted that innovation is at the heart of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's strategy, saying that it was also at the heart of the state's strategy and, therefore, at the gathering "to execute and to cause them to focus on this great dream to leap Nigeria forward."
"If the market that determines what value is, if the market that drives how value will be allocated in the value chain, I would like to announce that you are in the right place.
"Innovation is at the heart of the President's strategy, it's at the heart of the state's strategy and we are here to execute and to cause them to focus on this great dream to leap Nigeria forward. We believe in investing and partnering with the private sector in food systems and logistics.
"We believe we are going to stimulate production. Value is always going to be driven by the market and Lagos is the biggest market in West Africa. So we must pay particular attention to what Lagos does and how we mobilise the people of Lagos to produce for Nigeria.
"Like we saw in all the presentations, it's not just about planting seeds and harvesting seeds, it's about how those seeds get to the plates from the market.
"And giving Lagos unique positioning in the African continent as the largest food market, we must begin to drive the narrative, stimulate our young people to be creative and to innovate.
"Historically, we thought that where land is limited, agricultural production is limited but we have seen from around the world that that is not true. With a lot of innovation, with a lot of drive, and a lot of determination and energy, we can do what historically used to be impossible. And that is what Lagos stands for," the governor stated.
"We will show the way, and we believe that through that light, we will attract the nation from the North, from the East, everywhere, to return back to that productive capacity and we shall help stimulate the channels of trade to ensure that our productions are sustained up to the market because of what we are doing in our logistics, because of what we are doing in our food market.
"The message today is that indeed, because Lagos thrives by all of us partnering together, we have come to pull that partnership together in this place through the competition that we see, through the support that we see and that we give the innovations so that we can grow the outcome and ensure that food security is sustained in a state-run manner in Lagos and for Nigeria," he added.
Earlier in his remark, the Managing Director of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Sulaimon, who was the Keynote Speaker, noted that despite her small landmass, Lagos had the greatest value chain for agriculture sustainably.
Sulaimon argued that the greatest value chain in the food systems happened during consumption, saying that Lagos serves over 50 million people and that being the real and greatest value as, according to him, agriculture does not end in the farm, but ends on the plate.
"The greatest value chain in the food systems happens during consumption. The value does not lie in putting seeds on the ground and pulling them out.
"Lagos serves over 50 million people and that is the real value. The greatest value happens when people touch the food. Agriculture does not end in the farm, it ends on the plate," Abubakar stated.
Also speaking, the State’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, in her address, said she envisaged a Lagos where no child goes to bed hungry, where food is fresh, affordable, and grown close to home.
Besides, the commissioner added that envisaged a Lagos "where the energy that fills our markets is matched by the creativity of young people who see agriculture not as old-fashioned, but as the next great frontier."
"My vision in leading the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture & Food Systems has always been about building a youth-led, resilient and efficient machinery — where young agri-business owners, creators, and thinkers come together to form an ecosystem of innovation and enterprise that transforms how Lagos grows, processes, distributes, and consumes food.
"Because feeding a city of over 24 million people is not the work of one person or one institution — it is the work of a system, a living, breathing network where collaboration replaces competition, where innovation meets opportunity, and where small beginnings grow into lasting impact.
"The Agrinnovation Club is pivotal to the 'Produce for Lagos' programme, a programme that seeks to strengthen our production base, connect rural producers to urban markets, and ensure that Lagos consumes what Lagos produces. The energy and ingenuity of our youth are central to making that happen," Olusanya stated.
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