West Africa banana output reaches 8.7 million tons, FAO data shows
Ghana is the region’s second-largest banana exporter after Côte d’Ivoire.
WEST AFRICA – West Africa has the highest banana output in Africa, with nearly 8.7 million tons of bananas harvested in 2024, representing about 28% of Africa’s estimated output of nearly 31.3 million tons that year, according to FAO.
Nigeria is by far West Africa’s largest producer of dessert bananas, with average annual production of 6.69 million tons between 2020 and 2024, according to data compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and rankings by the Ecofin agency.
Most of this output is consumed domestically, and local farmers rather than large integrated plantations produce most of the bananas. About 500,000 hectares are devoted to dessert banana cultivation, according to the FAO.
Côte d’Ivoire ranks second, with an average annual production of 539,000 tons from 2020 to 2024. Dessert banana plantations cover about 12,178 hectares, giving Côte d’Ivoire the highest average yield among the five countries, estimated at 44 tons per hectare.
Major agribusiness companies dominate the country’s industry, with Compagnie Fruitière the leading producer through its subsidiary SCB. In addition, Belgian agricultural group Sipef announced on September 7 that it had acquired a 450-hectare banana plantation in Côte d’Ivoire.
The deal is expected to add between 12,000 and 14,000 tons to the group’s annual banana production in the country, highlighting Côte d’Ivoire’s prominent role in West Africa’s banana industry.
Meanwhile, Mali ranks third, with average annual production of 484,120 tons between 2020 and 2024, according to the Ecofin agency. Dessert banana cultivation covers about 43,000 hectares, with production consumed almost entirely within the country while exports are negligible.
Moreover, Mali’s industry consists mainly of family farmers organized under the Federation of Banana Producer Organizations (FOPB).
Guinea ranks fourth, with average annual production of 230,000 tons between 2020 and 2024. Most output is consumed domestically, with cultivation covering about 40,000 hectares and production largely from family farms in the Kindia region.
Lastly, Ghana ranks fifth, with average annual production of nearly 124,000 tons between 2020 and 2024. The country is also the region’s second-largest banana exporter after Côte d’Ivoire.
Large-scale commercial production is mainly handled by Golden Exotics Limited, a subsidiary of France’s Compagnie Fruitière, along with Volta River Estates Limited and Musahat Farms Limited. Dessert banana cultivation covers about 11,000 hectares in Ghana, according to the FAO.
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