Kuli-Kuli To The World: How Can We Make Nigerian Indigenous Snacks More Accessible?

Many of us grew up knowing a variety of Nigerian indigenous snacks like Kulikuli”, “Kokoro”, “Donkwa”, “Kilishi”, “Ipekere” (Plantain chips) and others. But somehow over time, these snacks have become difficult to come by. Now when we think about snacking, we go to our local grocery stores to pick up some biscuits and candies.

Where are the Nigerian indigenous snacks?

Some of these snacks (local snacks) are restricted to certain parts of the country and they are often associated with the rural economy. Besides, new elite consumers do not typically find some of these snacks readily available and in “presentable” forms.

Moving ahead, here are a few tips on how to make indigenous snacks more accessible to everyone.

1. Packaging: We need to package these snacks in attractive forms so that they can be featured on the supermarket shelves next to some other known snacks around the world
2. Food labelling: Consumers want to know the nutritional facts and ingredients of their snacks especially in this “Fitfam” and “calorie-counting age”. Local producers should be transparent in their food labelling.

Let us embark on a journey of making indigenous snacks go global. Please, share other helpful tips.

Economy.