Agrofood Nigeria 2026 projects €222bn food industry potential, calls for transformation

L-R: First Lady, Akwa Ibom State, H.E Helen Eno-Obareki; Managing Director, fairtrade Messe, Paul Marz; Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Lagos State, Ms Ruth Abiola Olusanya; Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Ltd, Bismarck Rewane; Ambassador, Kingdom of the Netherlands to Nigeria, H.E. Bengt van Loosdrecht and President, Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN), Otunba Francis Meshioye, OFR, at the Opening Ceremony of the 11th edition of agrofood Nigeria 2026 Exhibition and Conference, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Lagos.

Stanley Ihedigbo

Agrofood Nigeria 2026 has spotlighted the country’s booming food sector, projecting a market potential of €222 billion and urging urgent transformation across the value chain to boost efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness.

The 11th edition of AgroFood Nigeria once again brought together companies, innovators, and decision-makers from Nigeria and around the world to chart pathway solutions to strengthen value chains, improve productivity, and support the continued development of Nigeria’s dynamic agrofood industries.

This year’s 11th edition, being organised by fairtrade Messe, in conjunction with its local partner Modion Communications, cut across the exhibition sectors, including agro, food and beverage technology, food ingredients, packaging, and food & hospitality, with 137 exhibitors present for the three-days event.

Speaking at the fairtrade Messe GmbH’s 2026 edition of the 11th anniversary of agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria exhibition and conference in Lagos on Tuesday, eminent personalities, including, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu; represented by Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Lagos State, Ms Ruth Abiola Olusanya; First Lady, Akwa Ibom State, H.E Helen Eno-Obareki; Managing Director, fairtrade Messe, Paul Marz; Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Ltd, Bismarck Rewane; representative of the Oyo State Government, Chief Debo Akande; Ambassador, Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Bengt van Loosdrecht; President, Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN), Otunba Francis Meshioye, and the representative of Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), National President, Engr. (Dr.) Jani Ibrahim emphasized that Nigeria is a key agro-allied nation with immense potential.

Talking about the theme of this year’s conference, “Achieving World-Class Food Security in Nigeria,” the key stakeholders explained that it is both timely and imperative, as it speaks directly to the structural realities of our economy and the urgent need to reposition agriculture not merely as a subsistence activity, but as a catalyst for industrial transformation, trade expansion, and inclusive economic growth.

They projected that the Nigerian food market is to reach around 222 billion EUR by 2026, with strong annual growth expected in the years ahead.

In his keynote address at the event, Governor Sanwo-Olu stated that “Lagos is not just Nigeria’s commercial capital — we are Africa’s largest single food consumption market. Our food economy has more than doubled in just six years, rising from N6.5 trillion in 2019 to over N16 trillion today. Lagos alone consumes more than half of all food traded across the entire South-West.”

He added, “And as the state that contributes 22 per cent of Nigeria’s entire GDP, with our own economy projected to approach ₦66 trillion this year, we are the natural gateway and the biggest, most structured market any serious player in agro-processing, cold chain, packaging, or food technology can ever hope to reach on this continent.”

The Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Ltd, Bismarck Rewane, spoke about the adverse effects of the Middle East conflict on Nigeria’s agric sector, saying that Nigerians should be prepared for the worst to come because of the spiral economic effects on food locally.

The President of the Organization for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA), Mr. Alexander Isong, lamented that the cold chain as an industry has seen very little penetration into the Nigerian economy, and thereby it has been unable to enjoy the advantages that the cold chain brings to it.

According to him, “But here is the truth: the real bottleneck is no longer on the farm. It is everything that happens after the harvest. “Last year alone, Nigeria lost between ₦3.5 trillion and ₦5 trillion — that is 30 to 40 million metric tonnes of food — to post-harvest waste, mainly because of poor storage and broken logistics. On top of that, over 97 per cent of our agricultural exports still leave the country completely unprocessed.”

MAN President highlighted that global hunger remains stubbornly high, stating that available data show that about 733 million people were facing hunger in 2023, according to the United Nations World Food Programme.

“Our primary concern is that the African region is experiencing the most severe hunger.”

NACCIMA National President reaffirmed that achieving world-class food security in Nigeria is both possible and within reach. “However, he noted that it will require intentionality, sustained investment, and a shared commitment to transforming our agricultural sector into a globally competitive, value-driven industry.

The 11 edition proudly hosted exhibitors from four continents and fifteen countries – Austria, Belgium (represented with official pavilion), China, Denmark (represented with official pavilion), France, Germany (represented with official pavilion), India, Malaysia, the Netherlands (represented with official pavilion), Nigeria, Poland, South Africa (represented with official pavilion), the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America