To open up its agricultural areas and relieve congestion at its seaports, Nigeria is banking on the city of Jos. An ambitious project has just been launched there.

Faced with the saturation of the ports of Lagos and Port Harcourt and the logistical isolation of its inland agricultural areas, Nigeria is exploring a new path. On June 4, 2025, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Plateau State government to transform Jos's Yakubu Gowon Airport into an agro-cargo hub.

"The objective is to make Jos a hub for the export of agricultural products to Africa, the Middle East and Europe," FAAN said on X.

The project includes the establishment of processing areas, a dry port, and modern infrastructure: a cargo terminal, refrigerated facilities, and a multimodal platform. FAAN will provide its technical expertise, while the local government will provide the land and mobilize economic stakeholders.

The scheme aims to reduce post-harvest agricultural losses, which amount to up to 50 percent of annual production — about 3500 trillion naira (USD 2,23 billion), according to officials.

The city of Jos, at the heart of a major agricultural region (potatoes, tomatoes, mangoes), suffers from a lack of access to logistics corridors. This initiative aims to open up this region, reduce transport costs, and strengthen Nigeria's competitiveness against emerging hubs such as those in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Ethiopia.

The project is part of the post-oil economic diversification strategy, supported by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the African Development Bank.

However, the authorities remain cautious: a similar project launched ten years ago in Nasarawa State failed despite an investment of 10 billion naira.

The cargo airport has remained inoperative due to a lack of coordination, an integrated logistics strategy, and partnerships with private operators. Jos's developers want to avoid this scenario by focusing on a more structured and collaborative approach.