Cost of Cooking Jollof Rice in Every Region in Nigeria Rises, South West Leads
- A new SBM Intelligence report tracked how much it now costs to cook a pot of jollof rice across all six Nigerian geopolitical zones
- The Southwest recorded the steepest price jump of any region since the Jollof Index began in 2016
- Nigeria's figures were compared with Ghana's, where researchers found a starkly different trend
Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.
The cost of preparing a pot of jollof rice has jumped by more than 400% in every geopolitical zone in Nigeria over the past decade, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence titled "Rebasing, Redefining, and the Weather's Toll on the Pot."
The report uses the Jollof Index, which has tracked the price of key ingredients needed to cook the meal since 2016, to show how persistent food inflation has weakened household purchasing power across the country.
Source: Getty Images
Southwest Sees Fastest Rise
The Southwest recorded the steepest climb of any region, with costs rising 708.2% over the period.
Other zones followed with significant increases: the Northcentral posted a 567.3% rise, the South-South 489.9%, the Northeast 467.5%, the Southeast 441.3%, and the Northwest 428.0%.
Historical figures in the report show that the Northwest entered the index in July 2016 with an average cost of N4,890, while the Southeast and Northcentral started at N4,120 and N4,095, respectively.
The South-South joined in June 2017 at N5,685, and the Northeast was added in April 2019 at N5,700.
South-South Now the Most Expensive Region
Despite not recording the fastest growth rate, the South-South now carries the highest current cost of cooking a pot of jollof rice, with its index standing at N33,533.
The Northeast follows at N32,350, then the Southwest at N31,625, the Northcentral at N27,325, the Northwest at N25,820, and the Southeast at N22,300.
SBM Intelligence said no part of Nigeria has been spared from rising food prices, attributing the increases to a combination of inflation, insecurity, higher transport costs, currency depreciation, and climate-related disruptions that have weighed on food supply chains nationwide.
Source: Facebook
Nigeria vs Ghana
The report also placed Nigeria's figures alongside data from Ghana, where the Jollof Index has been tracked since 2023. Accra recorded a 41.9% increase over that period, while Kumasi posted a 45.5% rise.
Both figures fall well short of the more than 400% increases recorded across all Nigerian regions, underlining how much more sharply food costs have moved in Nigeria relative to its West African neighbour, BusinessDay reports.
Enugu, Kwara lead as food prices soar across Nigeria
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that food inflation grew to 16.06% in April 2026, slightly above headline inflation of 15.69% recorded in the same month.
April data is the first time since August 2025 that food inflation moved above headline inflation, which then stood at 25.30%, with headline inflation at 23.14%.
Food inflation was highest on a year-on-year basis above 20% in 11 states.
Source: Legit.ng
