FG Unveils ‘Project WHEAT-NESS’ to Tackle Cost Pressures, Boost Nigeria’s Wheat-Based Food Industry

By Taibat Ummi Yakubu

The Federal Government is preparing to launch a new initiative aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s wheat-based food industry, improving business competitiveness and addressing production and financing challenges affecting millers, bakeries, food manufacturers and small businesses.

The programme, known as Project WHEAT-NESS, is designed to strengthen local value chains and improve the operating conditions of businesses in a sector heavily dependent on imported wheat.

Nigeria consumes and imports an estimated six to seven million metric tonnes of wheat annually, leaving businesses exposed to fluctuations in international commodity prices, foreign exchange conditions and rising supply-chain costs.

According to the Office of the Minister of State for Industry under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the planned launch in Abuja will bring together government officials, private-sector operators, financial institutions, research organisations and development partners to examine challenges facing the industry and identify opportunities for growth.

The initiative is expected to cover the entire wheat-based food value chain, from agricultural production and input supply to aggregation, milling, processing, baking, transportation, distribution and retail.

Its approach will revolve around four major areas: value-chain development, enterprise development, a Made-in-Nigeria marketing campaign and a proposed Wheat-Based Consumer Foods Value Chain Development Fund.

Under the value-chain component, the government intends to explore ways to improve domestic supply, expand productive capacity, strengthen links between agricultural producers and industrial processors, and improve operational efficiency.

The enterprise development component will focus on improving the productivity and growth potential of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), including bakeries and other businesses involved in producing wheat-based foods.

The proposed Made-in-Nigeria campaign is expected to promote consumer confidence in locally manufactured products, while the planned development fund would seek to mobilise financing and investment for viable opportunities across the sector.

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The initiative comes as food manufacturers and other businesses continue to face cost pressures associated with imported raw materials, financing constraints and weaknesses across supply chains.

For bakeries and food-processing businesses, these challenges can affect production costs, profit margins and the prices consumers pay for everyday products.

However, the ministry has not yet announced measurable targets for reducing wheat imports, lowering production costs or increasing domestic wheat output under Project WHEAT-NESS.

The forthcoming engagement is expected to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to examine barriers to industrial competitiveness, bakery productivity, product affordability, access to markets, financing and infrastructure.

Participants will also explore potential partnerships, investment opportunities and areas requiring further technical assessment before specific interventions are developed.

According to the ministry, the launch is expected to produce a register of priority challenges, potential areas of collaboration, questions requiring further investigation and possible early actions for the programme’s delivery unit to consider.

Detailed baseline studies, industry assessments and the design of specific interventions will be undertaken separately through the programme’s technical workstreams.

Although the initiative signals a proposed effort to strengthen the wheat-based food industry, its eventual impact will depend on how effectively the identified challenges are addressed and whether the planned interventions translate into tangible improvements for businesses and consumers.

For now, key questions remain over how the programme will improve access to affordable financing, strengthen domestic supply and reduce the industry's exposure to imported wheat.

The planned launch is expected to lay the groundwork for further discussions on how government, businesses and financial institutions can work together to improve productivity, attract investment and build a more competitive wheat-based consumer foods industry in Nigeria.