The first phase of the 1.2 million sqm Lagos Central Food Security Systems and Logistics Hub will be completed this year, the Lagos State Government has said.

Oluwarotimi Fashola, special adviser to the Lagos state governor on agriculture and food systems disclosed this at the BusinessDay Future of Agriculture conference Wednesday in Lagos.

He said the first phase of the project will allow for cold and dry storage. “We will be able to ensure that we have food for Lagosians for three to six months by the time we finish,” he said.

The stalled project, being constructed in Ketu-Ereyun, Epe was to become sub-Saharan Africa’s largest food logistics hub upon completion in 2025. The government said it is designed to reduce wastage, lower food costs, and improve supply chain efficiency.

The facility includes storage slots for over 1,500 trucks, 1,200 shops, and warehouses and ensure steady food supplies for over 10 million residents, and create jobs within the agriculture sector.

“One of our major challenges is post-harvest loss, and food is produced but often not efficiently stored or transported, leading to waste, higher prices and reduced availability. Strengthening the entire value chain is as important as improving production,” Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor represented by Abisola Olusanya, the commissioner for agriculture and food systems, said.

“Some of these trucks are actually cold storage trucks. So when we’re picking tomatoes, for example, from the north to Lagos, it is kept as good as if it’s just from the farm,” Fashola assured.

The project is said is part of the Lagos government’s N500bn multiple-year investment scheme in the agriculture sector to solve hunger in Lagos, that includes a rice mill to buffer rice imports.

“Last year, the rice mill actually processed 500,000 bags of 50 kg rice,’ Fashola said. “It’s actually the only rice mill that is owned by the state government that is functional.” He claims it helps with price stability.

The government said it has secured 1,500 hectares of land in Badagry and “nearby Ogun state for rice production so that we can at least have an input into our raw materials,” according to Fashola.

Its program, Agrithorn, it said, has disbursed 250 million naira grants to agri-entrepreneurs, innovators.

But the government said it needs support.

“The government alone cannot solve the challenges of agriculture. The private sector, development partners, financial institutions and research bodies must collaborate,” Sanwo-Olu, said.