The 2025 Agribusiness and Value Chain Summit placed public health and nutrition at the center of national discourse, largely driven by the powerful presentation of Public Health expert, Dr. Stella Iwuagwu, whose message resonated as the emotional and intellectual highlight of the event.
Held on November 18, 2025, at the Maryam Babangida National Center for Women Development, Abuja, the summit gathered policymakers, agripreneurs, insurance representatives, technology consultants, and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain.
But it was Dr. Iwuagwu’s thought-provoking insights, rooted in lived experience that defined the day.
A former nurse and prominent health advocate turned farmer, Dr. Iwuagwu recounted her early activism in defense of people living with HIV.
Her efforts were instrumental in the establishment of the Centre for the Right to Health in 1999, a milestone in Nigeria’s fight against stigma and discrimination.
She reminded people that HIV destroys the immune system and people are unable to fight disease. Even when there were no drugs then she used food to boost the immune system of people with HIV and give them a chance at survival.
By spotlighting poverty and other social determinants of health, she emphasized that Nigeria’s health challenges extend beyond biology into systemic inequalities.
Her advocacy journey took an unexpected turn after a life-threatening accident that left her with a spinal cord injury.
From Ghana to the United States, she underwent multiple procedures, sometimes relying on 21 medications daily.
Yet her resilience pushed her back into Nigeria’s healthcare arena, where she played a direct role in shaping national policy.
“My story contributed to the passage of the Nigerian Health Act,” she said.
Still, she lamented Nigeria’s persistent infrastructure gaps, calling them barriers to equitable healthcare delivery.
Shifting to nutrition, Dr. Iwuagwu delivered a stark warning: Nigerians are unknowingly weakening their immune systems through poor diets and chemically compromised foods.
She linked rising cases of kidney failure, cancer and inflammation-based illnesses to harmful substances used in food production.
Her response was deeply personal. What began as a small backyard garden during her recovery evolved into Sustainable Demonstration Farms as dedicated to organic, healthy nutrition and healing with nature.
“Food can kill you and food can heal you,” she declared—one of the most quoted lines of the summit.
She explained that reconnecting with nature helped reduce her medication intake dramatically.
“Food is medicine—it is not a cliché it is my lived experience.” She said.
She urged Nigerians to prioritize edible, health-promoting plants over ornamental ones: “Why plant things you can’t eat, when you can plant things that will not take you to the hospital or pharmacy?”
Her wheelchair, she said, has become an instrument of purpose rather than limitation.
“God has used me for more in my wheelchair than in my high heels.” She said.
Dr. Iwuagwu also introduced her “22 Combo”, a natural antioxidant-rich formulation designed to combat inflammation. See her wide range of wellness products on www.sdfarms.store
Highlighting Nigeria’s agricultural potential, she described the nation as “the safe food basket of the world,” yet underrepresented in the global supplement industry.
While other countries process Nigerian raw materials into high-value health products, Nigeria remains largely an importer.
“We export ginger, they produce with it, and then sell it back to us.” She said.
She stressed the urgency of integrating nutrition and herbal education into Nigeria’s school curricula and health care system
Her message was clear: health, agriculture, and national development are inseparable and Nigeria must embrace local, organic and scientifically informed solutions if it hopes to achieve true food security and public wellness.
At the end of the event, when she was due to leave the stage, she was assisted as she exited the hall, an image that indicated the depth of her commitment to using her story for transformation.
