Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commissioned the Lagos Fresh Food Hub at Pen Cinema, Agege, describing the facility as a major step in the state’s efforts to build a food-secure, efficient and resilient food distribution system.
The newly commissioned hub is part of the Lagos State Food Systems Transformation Agenda, which seeks to address challenges arising from the state’s dependence on food produced outside Lagos. Sanwo-Olu noted that more than 70 per cent of food consumed in Lagos is produced outside the state, exposing residents and food businesses to high transportation costs, post-harvest losses, inadequate storage, supply disruptions and price volatility.
The Agege facility forms part of a wider 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. The network is designed to bring modern food infrastructure closer to communities, shorten supply chains, improve produce handling, reduce losses and create better opportunities for farmers, traders and other participants in the agricultural value chain.
The Governor disclosed that the central food hub in Epe is at an advanced stage and is expected to be commissioned before the end of his administration. Mid-level hubs are also being developed in Opebi and Bombata, while locations have been identified in Ikorodu, Apapa, Festac and the Lekki axis.
Sanwo-Olu highlighted the success of the Fresh Food Hub in Mushin, commissioned in 2023. The facility has recorded more than ₦4 billion in transactions across 228 market days, with over 850 registered vendors and more than 7,000 direct and indirect jobs created. He also pointed to the Produce for Lagos Programme, launched in 2025 with a ₦500 billion Offtake Guarantee Fund, which enables farmers to produce against guaranteed market demand, improving market access, reducing distress sales and encouraging investment in agriculture.
The Governor further disclosed that more than 125,800 farmers and fishermen had been trained in modern agricultural practices, while over 4,000 young people had benefited from the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme.
Speaking on the Agege hub, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, explained that the facility was designed as part of an interconnected hub-and-spoke food distribution system rather than simply as a conventional market. The system will connect the central logistics hub with strategically located mid-level hubs, enabling food to move more efficiently from farmers and aggregators to traders and consumers.
According to Olusanya, the hub will help tackle poor produce handling and storage, traffic congestion linked to food logistics, waste management challenges and inadequate trading conditions. The facility occupies approximately 7,000 square metres, with 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 300 metric tonnes of cold storage.
Other features include a dedicated seafood section, parking space for between 80 and 90 vehicles and 10 electric vehicle charging points. The facility is projected to facilitate more than ₦5 billion worth of food transactions annually.
Olusanya said full operations at the hub will begin in six weeks to allow for the completion of operator onboarding and the implementation of its operating, logistics and governance systems. A 351-page operating framework has also been developed to guide areas including produce receiving, quality control, storage, inventory management, sanitation, waste management and the use of trading spaces.
The Commissioner said the ultimate goal is to make the Agege facility a benchmark for modern food markets in Lagos, Nigeria and Africa by providing a cleaner, more organised and efficient environment for food trading.
At the commissioning, Sanwo-Olu urged farmers, traders and aggregators who will operate from the facility to take full advantage of the infrastructure, stressing that its success would contribute to better prices for farmers and improved access to fresh and affordable food for Lagos residents.
A member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Wale Ahmed, welcomed the project, saying Agege residents were pleased with the location and describing the expected ₦5 billion in monthly food produce as a major investment opportunity.
The Olu of Agege, Oba Kabila Oyedeji, expressed appreciation to the Governor and assured that residents would maximise the opportunities created by the project. The Iyaloja General of Orile Agege, Chief Mrs. Bola Orelaro, also pledged to promote the hub and encouraged residents to embrace the modern market structure.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of Agege Local Government, Abdul Ganiyi Vinod Obasa, described the commissioning as historic, noting that the hub would accelerate the socio-economic development of Agege. He added that the facility would promote hygienic food distribution, strengthen food security and make it easier for farmers to get their produce to market.
The commissioning therefore marks another milestone in Lagos State’s broader plan to create a coordinated food distribution network, reduce food losses and logistics challenges, strengthen agricultural value chains and ensure that residents have greater access to fresh and affordable food.
