Nigeria signs coffee revival partnership to strengthen cocoa, coffee value chains 

NIGERIA – Nigeria’s efforts to revive its coffee industry received a major boost after the Cocoa and Coffee Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COCEFAAA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) under the Nigeria Coffee Revival Initiative. 

The agreement is aimed at improving coffee production and productivity while strengthening cocoa and coffee value chains across the country through research, innovation and farmer-focused development. 

Under the partnership, both organisations will work on farmer empowerment, climate-smart agriculture, improved planting materials and post-harvest quality enhancement to support sustainable coffee production in Nigeria. 

The initiative will also focus on establishing commercial processing units, demonstration plots, irrigation pilot projects and the deployment of traceability and seed-tracker technology to improve transparency and sustainability within the sector. 

Speaking in a statement on Wednesday, Adeola Adegoke described the agreement as a significant step for Nigeria’s agricultural sector and Africa’s coffee industry. 

“This collaboration represents a strategic step toward restoring Nigeria’s position in the global coffee market while improving the livelihoods of thousands of farmers across the country,” Adegoke said. 

He added that the initiative is expected to support job creation, strengthen rural economies and increase export opportunities for Nigeria. 

“Our focus is not only on increasing production but also on building a sustainable and competitive coffee ecosystem driven by innovation, research, and farmer-centered development,” he stated. 

According to Adegoke, the partnership aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, particularly in areas related to agriculture, food security and economic diversification. 

He further noted that COCEFAAA and CRIN will collaborate with cocoa- and coffee-producing states, research institutions, academic organisations, non-governmental organisations and other industry stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the programme. 

The initiative will also prioritize training and capacity building for farmers and extension officers to improve productivity and maintain quality standards across the cocoa and coffee sectors. 

The partnership comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to strengthen its agricultural export sector. Recently, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria called for urgent measures to revive the country’s cocoa industry and restore its contribution to the national economy. 

AFAN National Publicity Secretary Femi Oke said cocoa, once one of Nigeria’s leading cash crops, had lost its prominence and required renewed investment and policy support. 

Meanwhile, Sunbeth Global Concepts Ltd recently announced plans to establish a 70,000-metric-tonne cocoa processing plant and an 80,000-metric-tonne cashew processing facility to expand value addition across Africa’s agricultural sector. 

Nigeria’s cocoa sector has continued to record strong export growth, with first-quarter 2025 cocoa export earnings rising more than 200% compared with the same period in 2024. Industry projections indicate the sector could generate more than N3.6 trillion in export earnings this year. 

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.