Sunbeth Global Concepts to build 70,000-tonne cocoa, 80,000-tonne cashew processing plants in Africa expansion drive

NIGERIA – Sunbeth Global Concepts Ltd, one of Nigeria’s leading cocoa exporters, has announced plans to construct a 70,000-metric tonne cocoa processing plant and an 80,000-metric tonne cashew processing facility as part of its strategy to expand value addition across Africa’s agricultural sector. 

The announcement was made by Managing Director Mr. Olasunkanmi Owoyemi during the Africa Cocoa Finance and Investment Forum (ACFIF) held at the London Stock Exchange. The facilities are scheduled for commissioning in March 2027. 

The dual investment is positioned to strengthen agro-processing capacity in two of Africa’s key export commodities, cocoa and cashew, while supporting industrial growth and export competitiveness. 

Sunbeth said the transition from a trading business to an integrated processor is aimed at increasing value capture within the supply chain, improving efficiency and supporting employment creation across production networks. 

The cocoa processing plant is expected to reinforce Nigeria’s role in global cocoa processing, while the cashew facility will serve demand across West Africa and export markets in Europe, Asia and the Americas. 

The company emphasized that its strategy is focused on building new, purpose-built facilities designed to meet international standards and long-term operational requirements. 

Sunbeth Global Concepts has grown from a domestic trading operation less than a decade ago into one of Africa’s major cocoa exporters, and is now shifting toward large-scale industrial processing as part of its next phase of growth. 

“Our processing journey requires more than capacity expansion. A 70,000-metric tonne cocoa processing plant is only viable if supported by a strong supply chain. Vertical integration is essential for long-term sustainability,” said Olasunkanmi Owoyemi, Managing Director of Sunbeth Global Concepts Ltd. 

He added that the company is actively investing in backward integration by supporting farmers with training, financing structures, technology and logistics systems aimed at improving yields and ensuring consistent supply to processing facilities. 

The investment forms part of Sunbeth’s Orange Cocoa Sustainability Framework, which focuses on quality control systems, farmer development programmes and strategic partnerships aimed at improving productivity and product standards at farm level. 

Sunbeth currently operates in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon, with additional offices in London, Dubai and New York to support global trading, finance and market access. 

The company stated that its long-term vision is to ensure Africa not only produces but also processes and captures greater economic value from cocoa and cashew production through integrated industrial development. 

Recently, the company raised N165.73 billion through a commercial paper issuance that was oversubscribed beyond its initial N100 billion target. 

The proceeds from the issuances will be deployed primarily to support the working capital requirements of Sunbeth’s cocoa trading business in Nigeria, strengthening the company’s capacity to source, finance, and export cocoa from Nigeria to international markets. 

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