By Faridat Salifu
Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday said the federal government is committed to repositioning Nigeria’s cocoa industry by shifting the focus from raw production to large-scale processing for global export.
Speaking during a meeting with the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Shettima said President Bola Tinubu’s administration aims to maximise the economic value of cocoa by promoting local processing and sustainable farming practices.
“We don’t want to be producers of cocoa; we want to be processors,” Shettima said, noting that processed cocoa products yield up to five times more revenue than raw beans. “A tonne of cocoa sells for about $9,000, but if processed into chocolate, it can fetch up to $50,000.”
To facilitate the transition, the Federal Executive Council recently approved the establishment of a National Cocoa Management Board (NCMB) to coordinate revitalisation efforts across the cocoa value chain.
Nigeria, once a leading global cocoa producer, has seen its position decline due to neglect of the sector following the oil boom.
Shettima said the Tinubu administration intends to reverse this trend by investing in value addition and youth involvement in agriculture.
He added that the country has the human capital required to drive the transformation, citing Nigeria’s youthful population and available farmland.
“I’m speaking from the heart — we are willing to partner with your organisation,” Shettima told the WCF, adding that he is personally developing a cocoa farm to demonstrate leadership by example.
In response, WCF President Chris Vincent expressed the Foundation’s readiness to support Nigeria’s cocoa industry in line with evolving European Union sustainability standards.
“The world is facing a cocoa supply shortage, and prices have quadrupled in three years,” Vincent said. “There’s an urgent need for new and sustainable cocoa sources, and Nigeria is well-positioned to fill that gap.”
Shettima also pledged to help the Foundation access 10,000 hectares of land in Kurmi Local Government Area of Taraba State for cocoa expansion projects.
