Development partners, investors and other stakeholders are set to advance the next phase of Nigeria’s agro-industrial transformation, with a focus on reducing food imports, stabilising food inflation and converting agricultural output into scalable, export-ready value chains.

These stakeholders will converge on agrofood Nigeria Tradeshow and Conference to also chart path towards addressing limited processing capacity and persistent post-harvest losses, which continue to constrain value creation, job creation and foreign exchange earnings in the agriculture sector, which accounts for over 22 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The conference, West Africa’s leading agrofood and agro-allied industry platform and now in its 11th edition, is scheduled to hold from March 24 to 26 at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island Annex, Lagos.

The event, organised by Fairtrade Messe, will host exhibitors from over 15 countries, reinforcing agrofood Nigeria’s position as West Africa’s most international, decision-driven agro-industrial marketplace.

The organisers stated that the conference will feature the Netherlands—one of the world’s most advanced agri-food economies and the second-largest agricultural exporter globally—as the headline country.

According to the organisers, the Dutch participation will spotlight globally proven solutions across food processing, cold chain logistics, horticulture, seed technology, packaging, and sustainable production systems, offering practical pathways for Nigeria’s agro-industrial scale-up.

Other countries, which include, Germany, China, Belgium and South Africa, will provide structured entry points for technology transfer, partnerships, and investment across Nigeria’s food and agro-allied value chains.

The guest speakers—Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, and Group Chief Economist at Afreximbank, Dr. Yemi Kale—will address issues ranging from production and industrial competitiveness to macroeconomics, food inflation, investment signals, trade, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and export-led industrial growth.

Speaking on the strategic direction of the 2026 edition, the Managing Director of fairtrade Messe, Paul Maerz, said Nigeria’s food challenge is no longer about production alone, but a decisive question of how quickly the country can industrialise its food system, reduce losses, deepen processing and meet international quality standards.

Maerz said Netherlands’ leadership at this edition reflects agrofood Nigeria’s focus on practical, scalable solutions.
Also commenting, the Conference and Exhibitor Partner for agrofood Nigeria, Odion Aleobua, noted that this 11th edition marks a shift from potential to execution.

“Nigeria’s agro-industrial future will be shaped by policy clarity, private capital, technology adoption, and trade readiness. agrofood Nigeria is designed as a serious business platform where those decisions are advanced,” Aleobua said.