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Dual policy strategy to tap the food waste industry 18 May 2026

Every year, an estimated 35 to 40 million tonnes of food is lost or wasted in Nigeria. The country currently ranks as the highest in Africa for food waste, followed by Egypt with an estimated 18 million tonnes annually, Tanzania with an estimated 9.9 million tonnes, Ethiopia with about 8.5 million tonnes and Uganda with approximately 5 million tonnes, among other countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experiencing high rates of food waste or loss. 

In total, an estimated 100 million metric tonnes of food are wasted in SSA annually. These huge wastes translate into billions of dollars in economic losses and increased human suffering in the region. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), fragile post-harvest infrastructure and inadequate cold chains and storage systems are mostly responsible for the large share of food crops that eventually get spoilt or do not reach the final consumers.  

The problem of food waste is not limited to SSA. Globally, food waste is a major contributor to food insecurity, driven by inefficiencies in modern economies, with up to one-third of all food produced never consumed. In modern economies, food waste or loss and food insecurity are two sides of the same systemic inefficiency. 

Food waste or loss drives inflation, as production costs are spread over fewer saleable food items, and higher prices reduce food affordability. Food losses and waste from inefficient supply chains make it difficult for food produced in rural communities to meet demand in urban areas. This means that food surpluses will eventually rot in one location while shortages persist in the other. 

The harrowing challenge of distribution failures has continued to plague many African countries. Therefore, it is essential for countries to intensify efforts to prevent food loss and significantly minimise food waste.

However, not all food waste is avoidable; some is actually inevitable. Focusing solely on the harsh implications of food loss and waste obscures an equally important reality. As in many cases, what we call waste is simply value that has not yet been captured. While a significant share of these losses must be prevented, a good portion remains inevitable in any food system. The real failure here is not the fact that we lose so much food, but that we have failed to build systems and industries that can transform this residual waste into economically and environmentally valuable products. Even in the best systems, peels, trims and surpluses will exist. So, channelling the inevitable aspect of food waste for societal gain is the focus of this article.

What if we industrialise food waste such that the millions of tonnes of discarded farm produce are not merely losses, but raw materials for new industries that can generate jobs, bioenergy, animal feed, fertilisers, and other industrial bioproducts? 

When gluts happen (a seasonal oversupply of some farm produce, such as fruits and vegetables, grains and other cultivated food items), where production exceeds market demand, causing a severe drop in prices and forcing farmers to sell at a loss or allow food items to rot away, processing and upcycling to absorb excess supply can make a huge difference. Partially damaged or imperfect, overripe, and surplus fruits from farms and marketplaces can be processed into juices, jams, smoothies, or concentrates, while tomatoes and vegetables can be processed into versatile pantry staples like tomato paste, ketchup, salsa, and so on by freezing or dehydrating them and then packaging them for longer shelf life. 

Some preservation techniques, such as roasting or drying to powder, could be employed for this purpose. While government agencies and the private sector are looking into creating more rural storage facilities and improving transportation and logistics, valorisation of the inevitable waste can involve building mini-agro-processing set-ups to produce the above items near fruit and vegetable markets. 

In the western part of Nigeria, for example, Mile 12 market, Ile-Epo (Agbado Oke-Odo), Arena (Oshodi), and Jakande are major fruit and vegetable markets in Lagos, while Bodija, Sasha, and Akinyele markets are the major ones in Ibadan, Oyo State. In the eastern region of the country, New Market and Akwata market in Enugu State, Coca-Cola market and Barracks market in Anambra State, Cemetery market in Abia State, and Rice Mill market in Ebonyi State are among the most discussed fruit and vegetable markets. In the northern and north-central regions, including Plateau, Kaduna, and Benue states, as well as Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory, there are specialised fruit and vegetable hubs. Mini processing facilities can be located around these markets and hubs to collect fruits and vegetables that might otherwise be discarded. 

In addition to making consumable items from wastes obtained from fruits and vegetables, products such as essential oils can be obtained industrially from fruit peels such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes, which can be very useful for cosmetics and personal care products, home care and cleaning products, textile and industrial fragrances, aromatherapy and wellness and as pest control agents.  

Another industry that can stem from food waste is animal feed production. Crop residues such as cassava peels, yam peels, maize husks, plantain and banana peels and vegetable scraps can be dried, fermented or milled and converted into livestock feed. Informal actors currently dominate waste handling and the conversion of this waste into useful products in Nigeria and across SSA. Collecting large quantities of peels and husks from processors for this purpose can significantly reduce the cost of livestock feed, which accounts for over 60 per cent of livestock production costs. Cassava wastes can also be used to produce industrial starch and bioethanol.

Composting clusters can be created near farmlands, processing facilities, and food markets to serve as collection points for waste from these sources. Such leftover food items or damaged and unsellable farm produce can be used to make compost or biofertiliser. This valorisation approach is applicable at the farm level and in the urban waste collection system. Fruit peels and scraps, vegetable scraps, eggshells, bakery and starchy wastes, dairy wastes, and meat and fish wastes can be converted to biofertiliser. 

Moreover, food waste is one of the most efficient feedstocks for generating bioenergy as biogas through anaerobic digestion. Small-scale biogas systems can be established to generate biogas from food waste, which can be used on farms, in food-processing clusters, in homes, and so on to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. 

To be sure, there are genuine reasons why some of these highly relevant valorisation industries remain untapped in Nigeria and across SSA. One major reason is the fragmented supply of the required raw material for these industries. Food waste is mostly scattered, inconsistent and seasonal. Another is the weak enforcement of waste segregation, which makes it difficult for such industries to obtain food waste separately from other waste, except through direct requests to their sources. 

There is also the perception problem where waste is considered dirty or unfit for use. Unlocking the value embedded in food waste will require coordinated action beyond individual enterprises. Governments, research institutes and universities, the private sector, and financial and development partners all have roles to play in making food waste valorisation achievable and sustainable. Governments in different countries across SSA must lead by establishing enabling policies, ranging from fiscal incentives and regulatory standards to investments in infrastructure such as cold rooms, aggregation hubs, and waste segregation systems. 

At the same time, stakeholders such as agricultural researchers, allied research institutions, and higher institutions of learning have critical roles to play in developing safe, scalable conversion technologies for food waste.  The private sector can also drive innovation in processing, logistics, and market development, while financial institutions and development partners can explore ways to reduce risks in this sector. 

People who have been informally involved in converting food waste into useful products should be integrated into formal value chains through inclusive policies. These joint efforts can transform food waste from a systemic liability into a unique driver of economic growth and food system resilience.  

Fixing food waste is incomplete without building industries around it. Building industries around waste without fixing its root causes can also amount to institutionalising inefficiency. Hence, the future of food systems lies not in choosing one over the other, but in applying both correctly by ensuring prevention first and then valorising whatever is left. 

This underscores a dual policy imperative to reduce avoidable losses while simultaneously establishing a “waste-to-value” ecosystem. Within this intersection is a largely unexplored opportunity to advance resource efficiency, promote agro-industrial development, and strengthen food system resilience across SSA. 

Mojisola Karigidi, PhD, a Financial Nigeria Columnist, is a Nigerian biochemist and the founder and product developer at Moepelorse Bio Resources. She is also a Global Innovation Through Science and Technology (GIST) awardee and an Aspen New Voices fellow.