Nigeria's culinary sector reaches $233.53 billion valuation with a 10.76% year-over-year expansion.

The Nigerian food market is valued at approximately $233.53 billion in 2025, with a projected annual growth rate of 10.76% from 2025 to 2030, according to estimates.

n

This substantial market size was highlighted by Paul Marz, Managing Director of fair-trade Messe, during his welcome address at the 2026 Nigeria agrofood Exhibition and Conference in Lagos.

n

The event, co-organised with Modion Communications, brought together companies, innovators, and decision-makers from Nigeria and around the world to discuss solutions for strengthening value chains and improving productivity in the agrofood industry.

n

The 2026 edition of the exhibition, themed "Achieving World-Class Food Security in Nigeria", features a record 137 exhibitors from 17 countries and four continents, marking the largest international participation in the event's history.

n

By facilitating direct engagement with international solution providers, the agrofood Nigeria exhibition promotes technology transfer, strengthens supply chains, and supports informed investment decisions across Nigeria and the wider West African market.

n

Nigeria is West Africa's largest importer of food and packaging technology, with imports valued at 265 million euro in 2024, and its packaging technology imports amounting to 121 million euro in the same year.

n

According to Paul Marz, the Nigerian food market is expected to experience significant growth, with a projected value of around $233.53 billion in 2025 and an annual growth rate of 10.76% from 2025 to 2030.

n

President of the Organisation for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA), Mr. Alexander Isong, noted that the Nigerian economy has not fully benefited from cold chain technology, with the real bottleneck in the food industry being post-harvest handling.

n

Isong stated that Nigeria lost between N3.5 trillion and N5 trillion, equivalent to 30 to 40 million metric tonnes of food, to post-harvest waste in the previous year due to poor storage and logistics.

n

Furthermore, over 97% of Nigeria's agricultural exports are still exported unprocessed, highlighting the need for improvement in the country's food industry.