Nigeria Food Summit 2026 Advocates Gastronomy Standardization

At the Nigeria Food Summit 2026 held at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, former Minister of Information and Culture and current Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of UN Tourism, called for the standardization of Nigerian gastronomy. He delivered a keynote address titled, “Building Nigeria’s Food System: Standardizing Gastronomy for Power and Prosperity,” highlighting that Nigerian cuisine should be viewed as both cultural heritage and an economic asset.

He urged stakeholders to develop systems to protect quality and authenticity, stating that successful countries document and promote their cuisine. Captain Gbolabo Gibbs Adebakin, the summit's convener, echoed the need for standardization to become an industry-wide practice, requiring collaboration among various stakeholders.

The two-day summit attracted nearly 1,000 participants, including 300 speakers and panelists, and emphasized the importance of translating discussions into actionable commitments for the Nigerian gastronomy industry.