FHSA, NSPRI move to boost food processing with climate-smart equipment training

…train women-led processors

Efforts to boost value addition, agroprocessing, and climate-smart mechanisation in Nigeria took a major step recently as food equipment fabricators from across the country completed an intensive five-day training programme on building safer, more energy-efficient and locally manufactured food processing equipment.

The training, held in Lagos and organised by Food Health Systems Advisory (FHSA) in partnership with the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), was delivered under the Advancing Nutrition Through Female-Led Food Processing (ANTFem) initiative, which supports the growth and competitiveness of women-led food businesses nationwide.

Female-led processors form a critical backbone of Nigeria’s food economy, yet many face persistent constraints linked to equipment quality, energy costs, and access to appropriate technologies.

“The training represents a turning point for local fabricators,” said Oluwafemi Yerumoh, program lead, supply chain and operations technology at Food Health Systems Advisory (FHSA).

“It was designed to reduce the technical and operational barriers that female-led food businesses encounter, which impacts their production costs and consequently makes safe and nutritious foods less affordable for the low-income consumers,” Yerumoh said.

Imported food processing machines remain expensive, slow to arrive, and often misaligned with local production realities. Locally fabricated machinery, while more accessible, mostly falls short of industrial standards, resulting in poor food safety, inconsistent product quality, limited durability, and higher operational costs.

The technical training responded directly to these challenges by equipping fabricators with technical skills in sanitary design, precision welding, machining, quality inspection, and the integration of solar and energy-efficient technologies.

Read also: Importance of food processing and preservation

Participants were exposed to international best practices and standards, ensuring that locally fabricated equipment meets regulatory and industry requirements while remaining tailored to the needs of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Michael Ayodele Omodara, assistant director of research and head of the Post-Harvest Engineering Research Department at NSPRI, emphasised the importance of inclusion and skills development in the fabrication ecosystem.

“Bridging the gender gap in the fabrication space requires a lot of advocacy.” “Fabrication is not a male gender thing.”

“This training equips the fabricators with the right knowledge to fabricate equipment that is efficient, safe, and will be used in producing hygienic products, ultimately improving the quality of food that reaches the consumers.”

“The training represents a turning point for local fabricators,” said Oluwafemi Yerumoh, program lead, supply chain and operations technology at Food Health Systems Advisory (FHSA).

“It was designed to reduce the technical and operational barriers that female-led food businesses encounter, which impacts their production costs and consequently makes safe and nutritious foods less affordable for the low-income consumers.”

Also, Michael Omodara, assistant director of research and head of the post-harvest and engineering research department at NSPRI emphasised the importance of inclusion and skills development in the fabrication ecosystem. “Bridging the gender gap in the fabrication space requires a lot of advocacy,” he said.

“Fabrication is not a male gender thing. This training equips the fabricators with the right knowledge to fabricate equipment that is efficient, safe, and will be used in producing hygienic products, ultimately improving the quality of food that reaches the consumers.”

Josephine Okojie-Okeiyi is a journalist with over five years’ reporting experience. She writes on industry, agriculture, commodities, climate change, and environmental issues. She is fellow of Thomson Reuters Foundation and Bloomberg Media Initiative for Africa.

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