The Federal Government is preparing to launch Project WHEAT-NESS, an initiative aimed at improving competitiveness across Nigeria’s wheat-based consumer foods industry.
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The programme will target millers, bakeries, food manufacturers and Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), with a focus on production costs, financing, enterprise growth and local value-chain development.
Nigeria consumes and imports an estimated six to seven million metric tonnes of wheat annually. This dependence exposes businesses to changes in global commodity prices, foreign exchange conditions and supply-chain costs.
The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment said the launch in Abuja would bring together government officials, private-sector operators, financial institutions, research organisations and development partners.
According to the ministry, the initiative will address challenges across the wheat-based foods value chain, including agricultural production, input supply, aggregation, milling, processing, baking, logistics, distribution and retail.
Project WHEAT-NESS is built around four intervention areas: value-chain development, enterprise development, a Made-in-Nigeria marketing campaign and a proposed Wheat-Based Consumer Foods Value Chain Development Fund.
The value-chain component is expected to improve domestic supply, productive capacity, industrial integration and operational efficiency. Enterprise development will focus on strengthening productivity and growth among MSMEs and downstream businesses.
The proposed marketing campaign aims to build consumer confidence in competitive Nigerian-made foods, while the proposed fund is expected to mobilise financing and investment for viable opportunities across the industry.
However, the ministry has not announced specific funding amounts, application procedures or a public registration portal. It has also not set measurable targets for reducing wheat imports, lowering production costs or increasing domestic output.
At the launch, stakeholders are expected to discuss supply constraints, bakery productivity, affordability, market access, financing, infrastructure and industrial competitiveness. The meeting will also identify possible partnerships, investment opportunities and issues requiring further technical assessment.
The ministry said the engagement would produce a register of priority issues, potential collaborations, questions for further research and possible early actions for the Programme Delivery Unit to consider. Detailed baseline studies, diagnostics and intervention design will follow through separate technical workstreams.
How to get updates
Bakers, millers, food manufacturers and MSMEs interested in the programme should monitor official announcements from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment for further updates on its rollout. No public application process or confirmed grant or loan offer has been announced yet.
