The federal government on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, launched Project WHEAT-NESS, a programme to improve the competitiveness of Nigeria's wheat-based foods industry, Peoples Gazette reported, citing the News Agency of Nigeria. The full name is the Wheat-Based Consumer Foods Value Chain Optimisation and Cost Competitiveness Programme.
Minister of State for Industry John Enoh, who chairs the programme's steering committee, said it is "not a subsidy but a whole-chain programme to fix Nigeria's wheat sector from farm to consumer."
Import Bill and Idle Mills
Chris Isokpunwu, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, said Nigeria imports more than six million tonnes of wheat a year at a cost above $2 billion, according to Peoples Gazette. He said the programme targets a 10% to 15% cut in import dependence within three years, which could save $200 million to $300 million in foreign exchange annually.
National Programme Coordinator Gerald Okunsebor put local wheat production at about 120,000 tonnes and said mills are running at about 50% of capacity. He said wheat consumption is expected to reach 10 million tonnes by 2034, Peoples Gazette reported.
Five Segments, Two Tracks
The programme covers five segments: upstream supply, industrial processing, downstream enterprise, the consumer market, and the finance and policy environment, ThisDay reported. The industry ministry will handle industrial costs, enterprise capacity, market efficiency and investment, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security leads on domestic production.
Okunsebor said the programme will run for 24 months on two tracks: programme activities and a development fund, a blended finance instrument combining public and private capital. A baseline assessment will cover inputs, storage, processing, distribution and sales, with early interventions expected before the end of the year. He said the President has asked for monthly reports.
Room to Grow Locally
Enoh said Nigeria has between 2 million and 3.5 million hectares of irrigable land suited to wheat, and that yields could be doubled with better seed varieties, planting schedules, crop nutrition and water management. He said "industrial competitiveness and consumer affordability should not be treated as competing objectives," ThisDay reported.
Isokpunwu said the programme will "create jobs, strengthen food enterprises and bakers," according to Peoples Gazette. He said a proposed development fund for the wheat-based consumer food value chain would provide a framework for reinvestment. Enoh also paid tribute to the industry, saying "Nigeria owes a debt to millers and bakers who keep mills running and bread on shelves."
FoodPrices Nigeria tracks Golden Penny Flour and other wheat-based staples across Lagos markets. Lower milling and import costs would show up there first in flour and bread prices.