FG targets food security, logistics reform through strategic public procurement

The Federal Government has identified strategic public procurement as a critical tool for strengthening Africa’s logistics systems, reducing post-harvest losses, and boosting food security, saying procurement decisions must go beyond routine government spending to drive economic transformation and sustainable development.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, made the call on Tuesday at the Africa Procurement and Supply Chain Summit and Awards 2026 held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Speaking on the theme, “Public Procurement is Live: Creating Opportunities for Sustainable Growth in Africa,” Ogunbiyi said public procurement had evolved into a strategic instrument for institutional strengthening, industrial development, and improving the quality of life of citizens.

He noted that governments across the continent spend between 12 and 20 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on public procurement, making every procurement decision an opportunity to stimulate local industries, create jobs, improve infrastructure, and deliver greater value to the public.

According to him, the agricultural sector remains one of the biggest beneficiaries of efficient procurement systems, particularly in addressing logistics and supply chain bottlenecks that continue to fuel food losses and rising food prices across Africa.

He noted that poor transport networks, inadequate logistics infrastructure, fragmented cross-border systems, high freight costs, limited warehousing facilities, and delays in moving goods continue to undermine public investments and weaken Africa’s competitiveness.

Ogunbiyi explained that the challenges are more severe for farmers who rely on timely delivery of seeds, fertilizers, machinery, and extension services, while harvested produce must be transported quickly to aggregation centres, storage facilities, processing plants, and markets.

“Weak logistics and transportation systems contribute significantly to post-harvest losses, reduce farmers’ incomes, increase food prices, and weaken food security across the continent,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary urged African governments to deploy transparent and well-planned procurement systems to invest in critical infrastructure, including roads, railways, inland waterways, ports, cold-chain facilities, warehouses, and digital logistics platforms capable of linking producers to markets and supporting trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He also advocated the adoption of digital procurement platforms, electronic contract management, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, data analytics, and smart logistics solutions, while calling for stronger regional collaboration to modernise procurement and supply chain systems.

According to him, transparent, technology-driven procurement and resilient supply chains are essential to achieving the objectives of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and unlocking the full economic opportunities presented by the AfCFTA.

Highlighting reforms within the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ogunbiyi said procurement is being deployed as a strategic mechanism for implementing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by enhancing agricultural productivity, expanding mechanisation, strengthening irrigation, improving storage and processing infrastructure, and developing competitive agricultural value chains.

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He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to strict compliance with the Public Procurement Act 2007, noting that procurement processes would continue to be guided by integrity, transparency, competition, due process, and effective contract management.

The Permanent Secretary also outlined ongoing reforms within the ministry, including the digitalisation of procurement processes, stronger monitoring and evaluation systems, professionalisation of procurement officers, and increased stakeholder engagement to improve service delivery.

The summit ended with an awards ceremony recognising outstanding individuals and organisations for excellence in procurement and supply chain management across Africa.

Ogunbiyi congratulated the award recipients and called for sustained collaboration among governments, development partners, and the private sector to build procurement and supply chain systems capable of strengthening public trust, supporting industrialisation, improving logistics, enhancing food security, and driving shared prosperity across the African continent.