Two leading cocoa farming bodies in Nigeria — the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (Nigeria Chapter) and the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) — have praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the establishment of the National Cocoa Management Committee, a regulatory body expected to drive the development of Nigeria’s cocoa industry.
At a press briefing held in Lagos, Adeola Adegoke, who led the two organisations, described the move as a long-awaited response to a five-year advocacy effort by cocoa farmers and industry stakeholders across the country.
He commended President Tinubu, members of the Federal Executive Council, and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, for listening to the calls of cocoa growers and industry operators who have consistently pushed for the formation of a regulatory board.
According to Adegoke, the major expectation is that the board will focus strictly on regulation and development, not on marketing. He said the board’s work will centre around improving production capacity, increasing farmer productivity, and incentivising farmers, especially in the face of fluctuating cocoa prices which have continued to threaten farmer livelihoods.
He also noted that Nigeria currently ranks seventh globally and fourth in Africa in cocoa production, citing figures from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO). But he argued that the country has the potential to become the continent’s leading cocoa producer if the new board successfully implements the Nigeria Cocoa Plan, which he said should be backed by targeted policies and sustainable funding.
Adegoke emphasized that Nigeria’s cocoa industry must be revived through massive farm rehabilitation and the adoption of sustainable farming practices. These include traceability systems, agroforestry, agroecology, due diligence, and quality control. He also called for increased local processing, youth inclusion, and climate-smart agriculture, all aligned with global standards.
He said, “It is the belief of the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (Nigeria Chapter), CFAN, and other stakeholders, that Nigeria’s cocoa industry cannot continue on autopilot. There must be a deliberate effort to reposition the sector in order to regain the lost glory of our cocoa economy.”
Adegoke highlighted the economic significance of cocoa to Nigeria, pointing out that in 2023 alone, the sector generated N356.16 billion in export value. In 2024, the total export value from cocoa and its derivatives is estimated to have reached about N2.7 trillion (approximately $1.76 billion), further underlining the crop’s strategic value for foreign exchange earnings, employment, and livelihood sustenance.
The CFAN president also made a passionate appeal to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, urging him to intervene in the plight of cocoa farmers in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area, whose farms have reportedly been adversely affected by approved oil palm investments in the area.
He explained that cocoa farms in Government Reserved Areas (GRAs) have been cleared to make way for palm oil plantations, a development that is threatening the livelihoods of many farmers and could damage Ondo’s position as Nigeria’s leading cocoa-producing state, which currently boasts around 90,000 metric tonnes of output annually.
“We plead that the Ondo State Government looks into the matter discreetly,” Adegoke said, “because if these developments continue, they could negatively affect cocoa expansion plans and the survival of farming families whose livelihoods depend solely on cocoa.”
