By Nkiruka Nnorom

Nigeria’s food industry took a significant leap forward at the just-concluded AgroFood Nigeria exhibition, which brought together 137 companies from 72 countries, including 14 German companies, to showcase cutting-edge technology and expertise.

The exhibition, which took place from March 24 – 26, in Lagos, covered the entire food value chain, from production to processing and packaging, providing a platform for local companies to access world-class technology and know-how.

Speaking at the special networking event organised by the German Consulate-General for the participating German companies, Mr. Paul März , Managing Director of Fairtrade Messe GmbH, the organisation behind the event, said the aim of the AgroFood expo is to boost Nigeria’s food self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imports.

“Our objective with the exhibition is to enhance self-sufficiency for the Nigerian food supply because, at the moment, large quantities of the food that is currently consumed in Nigeria is imported.

“We want to change that. We want to have lots of food produced in Nigeria, safe food produced in Nigeria. So, food safety is a big topic,” he said.

März said with international companies showcasing their latest innovations, local firms can now evaluate and adopt cutting-edge solutions, previously only available through costly overseas trips.

He added that the event provided an opportunity for local firms to not only explore new technologies, but access partnerships with international companies to drive growth and industrialisation.

März explained that the event has already yielded positive results in the last few years, with improvements in packaging, supermarket chains, and food production standards.

According to him, Nigerian agriculture now produce more, with better packaging and longer shelf life due to international norms and standards adopted.

He noted that with the right partnerships and investments, the country can achieve its goals and become a major player in the global food industry.

Daniel Krull, Germany’s Consul General in Lagos, said the event is crucial for Nigeria’s stability and resilience, saying that German industry has a lot to offer in this regard.

The event, according to him, also serves as a platform to highlight German innovation and expertise across the agrofood value chain, foster business-to-business (B2B) connections between German exhibitors and Nigerian stakeholders and promote sustainable partnerships that support Nigeria’s food security and industrial growth.