Inside Nigeria’s ₦160bn cold-chain revolution and the informal protein trade feeding millions
As dusk falls over Lagos, the air thickens with the scent of roasted beef and ground pepper. On a busy corner in Yaba, Ibrahim Musa fans glowing coals beneath rows of glistening skewers. “Business is good when the smoke rises straight,” he says, half-smiling as customers queue for their share of Suya, Nigeria’s most democratic meal.
But behind this roadside theatre lies a billion-naira economy, one that feeds millions, employs thousands, yet remains largely invisible to formal markets. From cattle herders in Sokoto to Suya vendors in Port Harcourt, this informal protein trade connects Nigeria’s dinner plates to its development challenges: food safety, cold-chain logistics, and rural employment.
A National Snack, a Missed Market
Suya is no longer just a snack; it is a national institution. With over 5 million Suya vendors operating across Nigeria’s streets and markets, the trade supports an estimated ₦200 billion informal meat economy, according to the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
Each skewer passes through a network of cattle traders, butchers, spice merchants, and grill masters, a decentralised value chain that keeps millions fed and employed. Yet, inefficiencies abound.
Nigeria loses over 45% of its perishable foods every year due to poor cold-chain infrastructure, and meat is among the worst affected. Fewer than 1,000 refrigerated trucks serve an economy that moves 11 million tonnes of perishables annually, according to BusinessDay research.
This infrastructure gap inflates costs, encourages unhygienic handling, and limits small vendors’ ability to scale.
The story of Suya is the story of Nigeria’s informal economy – vibrant, creative, and deeply inefficient.
The Cool Fix: Entrepreneurs Building the Chain
That is changing. A quiet revolution is underway, powered by entrepreneurs who see logistics, not grilling, as the next big play.
ColdHubs, founded by Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, operates 58 solar-powered cold rooms across 28 states, helping vendors and processors extend meat and produce shelf life from 2 days to 21 days.
Ecotutu, a Lagos-based startup, provides “pay-as-you-chill” solar cold storage units that have cut post-harvest losses by up to 85% for small producers.
New players like Figorr and Koolboks are digitising cold-chain monitoring with IoT-enabled freezers and mobile apps that ensure temperature consistency throughout the supply chain.
These firms represent a ₦160 billion market opportunity in Nigeria’s cold-chain logistics, as estimated by BusinessDay Intelligence.
“Cold is the new gold,” says Ikegwuonu. “If you can control temperature, you can control value.”
From Street Smoke to Scalable Enterprise
Formalising the Suya ecosystem could transform it from subsistence to a scalable enterprise. Analysts believe that integrating cold storage, branding, and micro-franchise systems could make Suya Nigeria’s next global food export – much like Thailand did with shrimp or South Korea with kimchi.
“Imagine a franchised Naija Suya brand – standardised, hygienic, export-ready,” says Olumide Adetula, founder of ChopLocal Foods, a Lagos-based food processing venture. “It’s entirely possible. We already have the brand equity – the world knows Suya.”
Beyond urban grills, integrating solar-powered abattoirs, hygienic packaging, and traceable sourcing can push the industry from informal trade into formal inclusion – unlocking financing, taxation, and quality standards.
The Suya economy isn’t small; it’s simply undocumented. If formalised, it could rival Nigeria’s poultry sector.
The Protein Economy of the Future
Nigeria’s protein gap remains a public health concern. According to FAO, the country’s per-capita daily protein intake stands at 53 grams, below the global average of 68 grams. Urban consumers are shifting toward convenient, high-protein foods – and Suya fits that demand perfectly.
Globally, demand for processed meat snacks is projected to hit $22 billion by 2030, creating opportunities for African brands that can combine authenticity with safety.
If Nigeria can plug cold-chain inefficiencies, invest in meat safety, and support MSMEs through credit and formalisation, the country could transition from an importer of processed protein products to an exporter of African-branded meat snacks.
What It Will Take
Finance & De-Risking: Access to affordable finance for MSMEs in logistics and processing.
Infrastructure Partnerships: Public-private investment in modular abattoirs, refrigerated transport, and solar cold hubs.
Skills & Certification: Training Suya vendors in hygiene, branding, and food safety standards.
Policy Alignment: Integrating informal protein trade into national MSME and agribusiness strategies.
The Go Local Perspective
Suya embodies Nigeria’s ingenuity – a reminder that value hides in plain sight. What began as a street-side meal can, with structure and innovation, evolve into a formalised industry powering nutrition, jobs, and export potential.
The smoke rising from Musa’s grill in Yaba is more than the scent of dinner; it’s a metaphor for an economy finding its heat – from Suya to startup.
