Impacts of COVID-19 on small- and medium-sized enterprises in the Nigerian food system


GAIN and partners, including the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Business Network (co-convened by the World Food Programme (WFP)), undertook a survey of food system SMEs in Nigeria in October/November 2020, aiming to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated control measures on their businesses and their support needs.

This survey follows one in May 2020, results of which are available here.

  • 71 responses were received, with most being from micro- or small-sized firms; respondents were primarily processors and within the grain value chain.
  • 70 firms (99%) reported being impacted by the pandemic, mainly via decreased sales (73%), difficulty accessing inputs (54%), difficulty paying staff (50%), and downsizing staff (49%).
  • For most firms, impacts had lessened over time; about 49% of firms reported business operations had improved, but were still worse than before the pandemic.
  • 85% reported changing their production volume as a result of the pandemic (generally decreasing it), and 83% had reported changing their product price.