Lagos Disburses N100m Grants To 26 Agripreneurs

The 26 beneficiaries were among the finalists at the just concluded Agrithon where about 316 business cases were presented by young agricultural startups.

Speaking at the maiden edition of Lagos Agrinnovation Summit in Lagos, with the theme ‘Shaping Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems for the Next Generation,’ Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu represented by his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat explained that the purpose of the summit is to build sustainable agriculture and food systems for the next generation and to ensure Lagos not only sustains itself but leads Nigeria and Africa toward food security and agricultural excellence.

The Governor who affirmed that agriculture has become a space for technology adoption through the involvement of young innovators, applauded the creation of the Lagos Agrinnovation Club, which according to him has become a community of young agripreneurs willing to give a new direction for Agriculture.

“The 26 finalists we honor today have not only made it through a rigorous selection process but have also shown us that the future of food in Lagos is bright. With access to mentorship, networks, and a share of the #100 Million Agrinnovation fund, these entrepreneurs will have the resources to take their enterprise solutions further. This is a symbol of what we can achieve when we trust our youth to lead and support them in doing so.

“But let me be clear, this is not where our work ends, with the collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and Eko Innovation Centre (EIC), will monitor and evaluate the activity of the 26 entrepreneurs for the next nine months to see how these businesses are growing.” he said

Summit Idea

He said the theme of the summit represents his administration’s commitment to build an agricultural sector that provides jobs, sustain communities, and meet the needs of people, as he urged the beneficiaries to turn their visions into reality and drive impactful change in the state agricultural landscape.

According to him “As a government, the State understands that agriculture development depends on more than just traditional practices that require embracing technology, foster collaboration, and create sustainable practices that will endure. We need to find innovative ways to reduce food waste, increase efficiency, and ensure that our food systems are resilient in the face of climate change and global challenges. In doing this, we must place young people at the center of this effort because it is their energy, ideas, and ambition that will drive this transformation forward”.

Agric Road-Map

The Governor added that the 2021-2025, Lagos Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap has greatly assisted to address some of the needs in the Agriculture sector as this has invariably increased productivity, boosted food security and created more job opportunities, thereby contributed to the transformation of the State’s Food Systems Initiatives.

He maintained that the establishment of Lagos Central Food Security Systems and Logistics Hub, Lagos State Rice Company, Lagos Fresh Food Hub, Idi Oro, Mushin, Ounje Eko Food Discount Market, Agric Value Chain Enterprise Activation Program, the Lagos Agripreneurship Program among others have provided avenues to empower the citizens of Lagos which demonstrated the commitment to developing infrastructure, supporting small businesses, and connecting Lagosians to vital resources.

Exploring Agrictech

In his goodwill message, the Nigeria’s Minister for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy,  Dr Olatubosun Tijani who joined the event virtually said that innovation and technology played pivotal role in the development of Agriculture space and its sustainability, stressing for the need for technical efficiency for the youths to triumph in the sector.

The Minister also emphasised that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is ensuring that the nation becomes a producing entity while seeking the support of the teeming youths and Agriculture enthusiasts to explore alternative and innovative ways to scale up the food systems in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.

Stomach security

The Keynote Speaker at the event, the Chairman Origin Tech group Prince S.J Samuel identified resilience, consistency and discipline as major factors that contribute to the growth of Agriculture that is powered by young entrepreneurs applying technology to scale up.

He said the first security is stomach security which must be catered for and this can only happen through consistent investments in Agriculture.

Support system

In her welcome address, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya said that the summit was designed for young people to get them inspired by allowing them to see people who are already in the Agricultural field doing great things.

She said “The Summit is essentially for young Agripreneurs those already in the business of food and food systems related, we have those in e-commerce, logistics, co-chains, co-storage solutions, we have those in production of crops we have those into livestock farming, production of cotton and those in the culinary space who cook food.”

“Lagos is encouraging them because these are a set of people that don’t come to the government begging for assistance or support, they go for it themselves. They have a business that is employing more young people and they pay their taxes and they dissipate energies together to provide  food for us in their own little way and that is why the state is supporting them.”

She said the State wants more people to come into the Agric space, where economists, accountants, engineers, lawyers are now key players moving the sector forward.

Speaking on the future of the Agrinnovation Club which was formed last year, the Commissioner said the State will strengthen its partnership with Eko’ Innovation Centre and Lagos State Employment Trust Fund to accommodate more members into the club.

According to her “We formed the club last year and many of them didn’t know one another, but today, they are doing business together, attending conferences abroad and getting some deals here and there from sponsors and multilateral and bilateral agencies and they are growing in terms of what they do. And they are supporting themselves and we are hoping to see billionaires emerge from this club, business magnet, we are hoping to see Agripreneurs that will pull a large pool youth into the food chain and we will have a more secure food in Nigeria.”

She said the state is looking at about 2,000 to 3,000 registered members of the club within the next 2 to 3 years.

Laying Foundation

Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Systems, Dr. Oluwarotumi Fashola said that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has laid a strong foundation through the Lagos Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap upon which initiatives like the Lagos Agrinnovation Club and Lagos Agrithon have flourished to inspire young Agripreneurs.

He however urged all the young innovators and Agrithon finalists to see themselves as the  heartbeat of Lagos’ agricultural future that can lead Nigeria and Africa toward a food-secure and sustainable future.

More startups

Panelists at the event called for more involvement of youths with technological know-how in the Agriculture sector to scale up, stressing that there is a need to disrupt the Agric value chain with technology and move away from the old methods of farming.

They all agreed that the Agric space is looking for more entrepreneurs to further widen the ecosystem while emphasising on the development of the institutional support structure that can allow subsistence farmers to scale up.

They identified logistics as one of the problems to move goods around the country with less financial implications while seeking capacity building, mentorship, Agric Extension Service, access to the market and regional collaboration to reduce the cost of logistics.