Lagos to support agric entrepreneurs with N150m grant

The Lagos State Government, through its Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, has launched the application portal for the Lagos Agrithon 2025 for youths in the state.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, made this known at a press briefing on Monday, noting that 35 youth entrepreneurs would be supported with a N150m grant.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Lagos Agrithon is an agricultural hackathon that provides a unique platform for startups to pitch their groundbreaking solutions to get access to funding, potential investors, mentorship and enhanced visibility across the agricultural value chain in Nigeria.

Olusanya noted that the Lagos Agrithon was borne out of the need to address the challenges in the agricultural sector with innovative ideas and pitches.

She said the portal for application to the Lagos Agrithon competition would be opened from June 2 to June 27, 2025, for all eligible agripreneurs.

“Lagos must act boldly – leveraging policy, partnerships, and innovation, to secure the future of food for its people. This is why Lagos Agrithon was born.

“Lagos Agrithon is more than a contest. It is a movement. A platform for bold ideas, youth-led innovation, and scalable solutions that tackle the food challenges of today and anticipate those of tomorrow.

“Starting June 2, we opened applications for LAGOS AGRITHON 2025. This year, we are proud to announce our large grant pool of N150m, which will be awarded to at least 35 promising agrifood startups and teams across key value chains in the state’s food systems,” Olusanya said.

The commissioner also reiterated that applicants must meet the requirements to be considered for the application.

“Building on the success of last year, where we supported 26 youth-led agribusinesses with N100m, the 2025 edition expands the programme to include: virtual and physical pitch sessions, a mentorship hub to strengthen business models and sharpen execution.

“At the grand finale, the winners would be announced during the Lagos Agrinnovation Summit 2.0, our flagship platform for connecting agrifood innovators with investors, policymakers, and industry leaders,” the commissioner said.