Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos has restated his administration’s resolve to encouraging more innovative individuals and groups to scale up food security in the state.
Sanwo-Olu gave this assurance at the year 2025 Lagos Food Festival held at the Muri Okunola Park Victoria Island, with the theme: “Taste Without Borders ”
The governor said that in the last eleven months, the government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems has involved in numerous interventions and empowerment initiatives which has impacted positively on Agripreneurs and the entire value chains.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems have done so much this year, they have empowered a lot of entrepreneurs and this is in a bid to continue to put innovators and aggregators in the food business to give them an opportunity to be independent and to do well as entrepreneurs.
“And families are also here to enjoy and see the exhibition of various food cultures and cuisine and you can see that the whole place is filled up, i myself have also been put to a quick food chef. I actually cooked, I was turned to Chef Jide, this where I cooked a seafood rice, with spinach and I tasted my own cooking as well.
“But it is a whole idea of families coming out, encouraging people in the catering, food space, and for us to be able to use food to tell the Lagos story. So it is really for people to see, understand and appreciate that we are people, that is very fashionista in all areas. Food is one in which you can show your arts, your skills and we are doing it on a budget and opening opportunity for a lot of young talents, we are opening up the smart people, and businesses are being transformed.” he said.
Sanwo-Olu added that it is imperative for the government to design programmes that will uplift citizens and encourage different skills, stressing that his government would continue to do the right thing to sustain the food security so that the state will remain a safe and home for all.
Abisola Olusanya, the state commissioner for agriculture and food systems, noted that the festival, fifth in its series is an embodiment of what Lagos stands for particularly in the area of culinary culture fused with entertainment.
Olusanya also mentioned that the festival has allowed food actors in the state to get connected, network as well as expand their businesses to grow beyond borders.
She said “Lagos is very diverse, it is very multicultural and so we believe that in celebrating everything that is Lagos, food is the embodiment of that and we as the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, we are the curators and the custodians of that, so it is best that we celebrate all of our value food chain actors and the Lagos Food Festival is a place to do so.
“We have had many stars made from the Lagos Food Festival just by reason of Mr Governor cooking along with them and tasting their foods and giving a word of encouragement. So, this is an avenue for us as the ministry of agriculture and food systems to solidify all of our interventions over the years and to celebrate everyone that makes it possible for all of us to eat in lagos.”
