Nigeria loses over 38mt of food annually — Report

By Fredrick Ameh

Nigeria has emerged as the most significant food-wasting nation in Africa, losing an estimated 38 million tonnes of food annually according to a report released during the 2026 International Zero Waste Day commemoration in Abuja.

The findings, disclosed by the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, highlight a staggering paradox where the country discards more food than any other nation on the continent while approximately 30.6 million Nigerians face severe hunger.

This volume of waste represents about 189 kilograms of food lost per person each year, a figure experts describe as an alarming squandering of national resources.

The crisis stems from a fundamental collapse in food management after harvest rather than a lack of production.

The Deputy Ambassador of the Eurpoean Union (EU) delegation, Zissimos Vergos, noted that these losses occur across multiple stages of the value chain, driven by a lack of processing industries, inadequate cooling systems, and significant spoilage during the transit of goods from rural farms to urban markets.

He emphasized that discarding food effectively squanders the water, energy, and labor invested in its production, while also contributing to nearly 40% of global methane emissions.

The human cost of this broken food chain is increasingly visible as the Food and Agriculture Organisation and UNIDO project that acute food insecurity could affect up to 34.7 million Nigerians by mid-2026 without immediate intervention.

Nutrition experts point out that fruits and vegetables vital for addressing the nation's micronutrient deficiency are the most affected by these logistics gaps.

Without robust cold chain infrastructure, these perishables frequently rot in transit before they can reach the consumers who need them most.

The Federal Ministry of Environment has acknowledged the gravity of the report, noting that the economic loss tied to this waste directly threatens the nation’s circular economy objectives.

With transportation costs for agricultural goods rising significantly due to energy spikes and regional tensions, the cost of moving food across the country has jumped by over 50% in recent months.

Government officials and international partners are now calling for coordinated action to prioritize food waste elimination, stressing that Nigeria can no longer afford to lead the continent in waste while millions remain in a hunger queue.