The Lagos State Government has launched Lagos Agrithon 3.0, unveiling a ₦200 million funding opportunity to support young agripreneurs and innovators developing solutions across agriculture and food systems.
Speaking at the launch, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said the initiative is designed to provide funding, mentorship, networks, and opportunities to help young people transform innovative ideas into sustainable agribusinesses.
She explained that the Lagos Agrinnovation Club and Agrithon were created to address challenges limiting youth innovators, particularly limited access to capital, markets, technical support, and strategic partnerships.
Olusanya noted that although Lagos is Nigeria’s innovation hub and a major food market in Africa, there is a need to deliberately strengthen its agricultural innovation ecosystem to support food systems transformation.
She added that the initiative aligns with national and state food security goals under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, with agriculture being repositioned as a full food systems sector for jobs, investment, and economic growth.
She highlighted reforms such as the transformation of the Ministry of Agriculture into the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, the Lagos Food Systems Roadmap, and programmes like the Produce for Lagos Initiative and Agrinnovation Club.
The Commissioner said previous editions of Agrithon have produced successful entrepreneurs who have scaled businesses, attracted investments, and created jobs beyond initial projections.
She stressed that the 2026 edition is the most ambitious yet, with a ₦200 million grant pool and a structured selection process involving screening, pitching, due diligence, and expert evaluation.
Olusanya called on innovators across the entire food systems value chain – production, processing, logistics, cold chain, mechanisation, climate resilience, biotechnology, and digital agriculture – to apply, while urging private sector partners and investors to support the ecosystem.
Also speaking, resource person Kamil Olufowobi urged youths to move from decision-making to action, stressing that success depends on execution, discipline, and building strong networks.
He advised participants to embrace consistency and resilience in pursuing their goals, noting that sustained effort and the willingness to learn from failure are critical to long-term success in any entrepreneurial journey.