President, Organisation for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA), Alexander Isong, has said that investing in cold chain logistics will contribute in no small measure to reducing post-harvest losses and contribute no less than $4.8 billion (N2trillion) to Nigeria’s economy annually by reducing food waste and increasing market efficiency.
He said this while speaking at the seventh West Africa Cold Chain Summit and Exhibition in Lagos.
He said that the role of cold chain logistics has never been more crucial in reducing post-harvest losses, enhancing food safety, boosting exports, and ensuring the sustainability of the food systems.
He said that Nigeria produces approximately 55 million metric tonnes of food annually, yet over 40 percent of it is lost due to poor cold chain infrastructure and that this translates into an economic loss of over N3.5 trillion ($8 billion) annually.
According to him, for key perishable commodities; 50 percent of tomatoes valued at N75 billion ($180 million) lost yearly, over 30 percent of locally produced beef and dairy products spoil before reaching consumers, leading to N200 billion ($480 million) in annual losses.
He noted that Nigeria imports over 900,000 metric tonnes of fish yearly, yet 30 percent of locally caught fish is wasted due to inadequate storage, costing the sector N100 billion ($240 million).
According to him, without an efficient cold chain system, these losses will persist, keeping Nigeria dependent on imports and undermining food security.
He further said that if Nigeria must compete globally, the country must meet international cold chain standards such as; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP); Food Safety Management System (ISO 22000); Codex Alimentarius (FAO/WHO International Food Standards); Halal Certification for Meat Exports.
“Currently, only 30 percent of Nigerian meat processing facilities meet export-grade standards due to weak regulatory enforcement, lack of cold storage, and outdated abattoir systems. This is a missed economic opportunity, considering the global halal meat market alone is worth $2.1 trillion.
To achieve food safety compliance, according to him, the country needs to harmonise NAFDAC, SON, FMARD, FMITI, and ECOWAS cold chain regulations to ensure standardised certification processes for local and export markets.
Isong noted that Nigeria lacks adequate cold storage and refrigerated transport systems to support its growing food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural sectors.
“Nigeria has less than 100,000 metric tons of cold storage capacity, while Egypt has 600,000 metric tons and South Africa has over 800,000 metric tonnes. Less than five percent of Nigerian trucks used for transporting perishable goods are refrigerated, compared to 30 percent in South Africa and 50 percent in Europe.
“To bridge this gap, we call on public-private partnerships (PPPs) and investment in Solar-powered cold storage hubs for rural farmers to cut post-harvest losses; incentives for fleet expansion of refrigerated trucks to improve farm-to-market logistics; development of multi-temperature warehouses to support domestic and export supply chains.”
Isong pointed out that while the government has made progress through initiatives like the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP), the Animal Disease Control Act, 2022; the National Food Safety Policy, stressing that there is lack of coordination between different regulatory bodies.
He said that cold chain investments are slowed down by bureaucratic bottlenecks, making it difficult for businesses to comply with overlapping regulations.
He said that the association propose a unified regulatory framework where NAFDAC oversees food safety compliance for processed meat and dairy; SON enforces cold chain equipment standards; FMAFS provides incentives for agricultural cold-chain infrastructure development; FMLSD provides incentives for meat, dairy, and egg cold chain infrastructure development.
He said that a National Cold Chain Policy will ensure all these agencies work together under one regulatory umbrella.
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