Nigeria’s surging food prices are being fuelled more by waste and weak infrastructure than by any real shortage of produce, according to Kofi Abunu, Managing Director of Food Concepts Limited, operators in the quick-service restaurant space.

Abunu argues that a large share of the country’s food output never reaches consumers. Poultry, vegetables, grains and fresh produce are routinely lost between farm and market because of poor storage, inadequate cold-chain facilities, bad roads and unreliable power. These post-harvest losses tighten effective supply and drive prices higher, even when farms are producing enough.

For restaurant operators, the impact is immediate. Unreliable power forces heavy spending on generators and raises the risk of spoilage. Transport delays disrupt just-in-time deliveries, while limited storage capacity undermines consistency and scale. The result is higher operating costs, squeezed margins and upward pressure on menu prices.

Abunu insists that targeted investments could quickly ease the crisis. Modular cold rooms near farms, basic grading and aggregation centres, embedded power for these hubs and dedicated short-haul refrigerated fleets would sharply cut waste. He maintains that investing “where the loss happens” delivers faster results than building a few large, centralised facilities far from production clusters.

The weaknesses in Nigeria’s food system also explain why the country still imports items it already produces. Poor logistics and storage, inconsistent quality and a lingering trust gap between farmers and large buyers make it difficult for formal businesses to rely on local supply. When local chains fail, imports become the default, even for products like strawberries, where as much as half of domestic harvests are believed to rot before reaching the market.

Food Concepts has responded by building a 99 per cent local supply chain, backing farmers to meet quick-service standards, tightening internal forecasting and inventory systems, and shortening logistics loops. Abunu says this “systems-led, partnership-driven” model shows that local sourcing is viable if infrastructure and execution improve.

He believes policy can accelerate change, particularly through incentives for private cold-chain investment, such as duty waivers and tax credits for cold rooms and refrigerated trucks. With clearer rules and lower entry costs, he argues, private capital would rapidly scale storage and distribution, cutting waste and easing food inflation.

In his view, Nigeria’s food inflation is a fixable infrastructure problem. With better storage, power and logistics, he says, prices can stabilise, imports can fall and the food industry can grow on a more sustainable, locally anchored footing.