Lagos State is investing heavily in its young population to tackle Nigeria’s growing food crisis, with a new N150 million fund aimed at empowering agripreneurs who are bringing innovative solutions to the food system.
Abisola Olusanya, the commissioner for the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, made this known during the Lagos Agrithon Grand Finale pitch competition held on Thursday. She said the state government is supporting a pool of young agripreneurs driving innovation in the agriculture and food space to scale their businesses and create jobs.
“We want to give them the kind of support that will scale and transcend their businesses to the next level,” Olusanya said.
She explained that the initiative is not just about funding but also about building an ecosystem that connects people with similar goals. “More importantly, it’s about creating an ecosystem of like-minded people where the connection, partnership, and synergy, we can bring it to the fore and help businesses scale better that way,” she added.
According to her, the state has already recorded significant success through various agricultural empowerment initiatives and has built a strong community of advocates who are encouraging young people in schools to see the potential in agriculture and food systems.
“We have people here who are now mentors for our Lagos Agripreneurship Programme Lab. We have mentors now for our Lagos Agric Scholars Programme,” she noted.
She added that this growing community continues to inspire and guide young Nigerians into agribusiness. “And so many other things that we’re doing as a collective are surely showcasing that indeed, when there’s a communal synergy, when there’s that communal value, then we can go higher and scale faster,” she said.
Olusanya stated that collaboration within the agribusiness ecosystem has led to impressive growth among participants. “We’ve seen many businesses now come together, partner and do bigger and better things. We’ve seen businesses scale rapidly. We’ve seen those connections and we know that we’re on the right path,” she explained.
The commissioner further said that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration views Agrithon as an initiative that will nurture future billionaires, industry leaders, and innovators capable of transforming the food industry in Nigeria.
Speaking about the 2025 Agrithon edition, Olusanya revealed that the call for entries received over 1,000 applications. The process involved written examinations, oral interviews, and mentorship programmes. To ensure credibility, the selection committee visited the farms and businesses to confirm their existence before choosing 32 entrepreneurs for the final stage.
She said the selected 32 agripreneurs represent diverse states across the country and will receive support from the N150 million grant to expand their ventures. “We have people from all over Nigeria. It’s not only people residing in Lagos. We have people from diverse cultures represented here at the Lagos Agrithon,” she stated.
Explaining the inclusion of non-Lagos-based entrepreneurs, she added, “Even if you don’t have a farm or your business is not located in Lagos, we believe that the majority of your customer base is still in Lagos. Whatever solution it is you’re driving at, at least a minimum of 60 percent of your customer base is in Lagos. So, we see that as we are here for everybody.”
