The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has reiterated that Nigeria must urgently move away from crude oil dependence and embrace agriculture as the true engine of economic diversification, job creation, and inclusive growth.
Speaking at the 2025 Annual Fair Symposium of the Agriculture and Allied Group in Lagos, the chamber emphasised that agriculture must be repositioned as a modern, wealth-creating, and globally competitive sector capable of powering the country’s long-term development.
Agriculture currently contributes over 25 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product and employs more than a third of the labour force. Yet, the country still spends billions of dollars annually on food imports, underlining the sector’s untapped potential.
The chamber argued that Nigeria needs to harness 21st-century innovations such as data-driven farming, precision agriculture, drones, blockchain-enabled food supply chains, and venture capital-backed agripreneurship. These tools, already reshaping global food systems, can make agriculture more productive and profitable while opening doors for young entrepreneurs.
The LCCI’s Agric and Agro-Allied Group added that changing perceptions is equally important. Farming, it said, must no longer be seen as a last resort but as a modern career that is aspirational, technology-driven, and capable of fulfilling the ambitions of the next generation.
The symposium, themed “Agri-Business in the 21st Century: Changing the Narrative,” stressed that the future of Nigeria’s food security depends on digital agriculture, greater private investment, and agro-value chain integration. With Nigeria’s population projected to surpass 400 million by 2050, stakeholders noted that only a transformed agricultural system can meet rising demand for food, reduce import dependence, and provide sustainable livelihoods.
The discussions reflect a broader continental push under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost intra-African trade in agricultural goods, build competitive agribusinesses, and reduce vulnerability to global supply shocks. For Nigeria, aligning agriculture with technology and entrepreneurship offers an opportunity to strengthen food security while positioning SMEs at the heart of Africa’s growth story.
