Sanwo-Olu Commissions Agege Fresh Food Hub

Sanwo-Olu Commissions Agege Fresh Food Hub
Targets ₦5bn Annual Food Transactions
Says 70% of Lagos Food Comes From Outside State

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commissioned the Lagos Fresh Food Hub in Pen Cinema, Agege, as part of efforts to strengthen food security and modernise the state’s food distribution system.

Contents

EDITOR’S PICK
FURTHER READING

Eko Hot Blog reports that Sanwo-Olu described the facility as a key component of the state’s Food Systems Transformation Agenda, designed to address challenges associated with Lagos’ heavy dependence on food produced outside the state.

EDITOR’S PICK

According to the governor, more than 70 per cent of food consumed in Lagos is produced outside the state, making it necessary to improve the systems through which food is transported, stored, processed and distributed.

Sanwo-Olu Commissions Agege Fresh Food Hub

He identified high transportation costs, post-harvest losses, inadequate storage, supply disruptions and price volatility among the challenges the state’s food systems agenda seeks to address.

The governor said the Agege facility was part of a network of Mid Level Agro Produce Hubs being developed across Lagos to complement the Lagos Central Food Systems and Logistics Hub at Ketu Ereyun, Epe.

He disclosed that the Epe central hub was at an advanced stage and would be commissioned before the end of his administration, while additional mid-level hubs were being developed in Opebi and Bombata.

According to him, locations have also been identified in Ikorodu, Apapa, Festac and the Lekki axis.

Sanwo-Olu said the network would bring modern food infrastructure closer to communities, shorten supply chains, improve produce handling, reduce waste and create better opportunities for farmers, traders and other participants in the agricultural value chain.

He also highlighted the performance of the Fresh Food Hub in Mushin, which was commissioned in 2023 and has recorded more than ₦4 billion in transactions across 228 market days.

The Mushin facility, he said, currently has more than 850 registered vendors and has generated over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The governor further said the Produce for Lagos Programme, launched in 2025 alongside the ₦500 billion Offtake Guarantee Fund, was helping farmers produce against guaranteed market demand, thereby improving market access and reducing distress sales.

He added that more than 125,800 farmers and fishermen had been trained in modern agricultural practices, while over 4,000 young people had received training through the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme.

Speaking on the Agege facility, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said the hub was designed as part of an integrated food distribution network rather than a conventional market.

She said the hub-and-spoke model would connect the central food logistics facility with strategically located mid-level hubs to facilitate the movement of food from farmers and aggregators to traders and consumers.

The Agege hub occupies about 7,000 square metres, including a 4,000-square-metre trading floor capable of accommodating between 350 and 400 vendors.

It also has about 1,200 square metres of dry storage with a capacity of approximately 800 metric tonnes, alongside about 300 metric tonnes of cold storage capacity.

Other facilities include a dedicated seafood section, parking space for between 80 and 90 vehicles and 10 electric vehicle charging points.

Olusanya projected that the facility could facilitate more than ₦5 billion in food transactions annually, with benefits expected to extend from farmers and aggregators to logistics operators, retailers and consumers.

She, however, said the hub would commence full operations in six weeks to allow the government to complete operator onboarding and put its logistics, operating and governance systems in place.

The commissioner said the state had also developed a 351-page operating framework covering produce receiving and quality control, storage and inventory management, sanitation, waste management and the use of trading spaces.

She said the government intended to make the Agege hub a benchmark for modern food markets in Lagos, Nigeria and Africa.

Commissioning the facility, Sanwo-Olu urged farmers, traders and aggregators who would operate from the hub to maximise the opportunities provided by the infrastructure.

He said the success of the project would ultimately contribute to improved earnings for farmers and better access to fresh and affordable food for Lagos residents.

Also speaking, member of the House of Representatives, Dr Wale Ahmed, said residents of Agege were pleased with the location of the project, describing the hub as a major investment opportunity for the community.

The Olu of Agege, Oba Kabila Oyedeji, thanked the governor for the initiative and assured him that residents would make maximum use of the facility.

Sanwo-Olu Commissions Agege Fresh Food Hub

Similarly, Iyaloja General of Orile Agege, Chief Bola Orelaro, pledged to support the project and encouraged residents to embrace the modern market structure.

Chairman of Agege Local Government, Abdul Ganiyi Vinod Obasa, described the commissioning as historic, saying the facility would accelerate the socioeconomic development of the area.

He said the project would promote hygienic food distribution and contribute to food security in Lagos, stressing that a secure food system was essential for a rapidly growing population.