Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, has introduced a N25 billion dedication to help the Produce for Lagos Programme.
The announcement was made on Wednesday throughout the official launch of the Produce for Lagos Programme and the N500 billion Offtake Assure Fund, held at Lagos Home, Ikeja, on July 23, 2025.
Elumelu’s pledge represents the one largest {financial} contribution from the personal sector to the initiative, which is aimed toward enhancing meals safety, addressing provide chain inefficiencies, and enhancing entry to agricultural produce throughout Lagos State.
Elumelu applauded the Lagos State Authorities for what he described as a transformative step towards {economic} inclusion. The Heirs Holdings Chairman emphasised that the initiative might considerably scale back youth unemployment by partaking younger individuals in productive agricultural ventures throughout the state’s arable lands.
“This initiative will sort out the foundation causes of joblessness. Agriculture has the facility to make use of hundreds of thousands—if we make investments the appropriate approach,” Elumelu mentioned.
He added, “We at Heirs Holdings are committing N25 billion to help this meals programs transformation. We are going to work hand-in-hand with the Lagos State Authorities to scale its affect by creating jobs.”
Elumelu famous that the N25 billion funding dedication shall be channeled by the United {Bank} for Africa (UBA). He additionally introduced an extra N1 billion donation to the Lagos State Authorities throughout the occasion.
What you need to know
Earlier, earlier than Elumelu made his pledge, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu launched the N500 billion Uptake Assure Fund – an initiative aimed toward remodeling the state’s meals system, decreasing starvation, and boosting inclusive {economic} development.
Sanwo-Olu mentioned the programme responds to challenges uncovered by COVID-19, local weather change, and international provide chain disruptions. He emphasised the pressing want for Lagos to change into extra self-reliant, citing knowledge that exhibits the state consumes over half of the Southwest’s meals manufacturing.
Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, highlighted meals safety as a pillar of nationwide stability and advocated for ranch growth to handle herder-farmer conflicts.
The programme is being applied by the Lagos Meals Methods Infrastructure Firm in collaboration with personal sector companions. It’s designed to ensure market entry for farmers, scale back post-harvest losses, and strengthen connections between Lagos and Nigeria’s main food-producing areas, thereby positioning the state as a central hub for agribusiness and funding.
