By Faridat Salifu
Nigeria’s drive to retain more value from its cocoa sector is gaining renewed momentum as processors highlight the higher economic returns from finished exports compared to raw beans.
Speaking with newsmen in Akure last Monday, the Founder and Group Managing Director of CapitalSage Holdings, Mr. John Alamu, said the country’s future growth lies in expanding its industrial base for cocoa processing rather than continuing heavy reliance on raw exports.
Alamu explained that while exporters of raw cocoa earn around $8,000 per tonne, the figure rises sixfold when converted to butter and up to 30 times more when processed into chocolate, underscoring the vast potential of domestic value addition.
He said this principle drives the company’s expansion of its agribusiness subsidiary, Johnvents Group, which operates some of Nigeria’s most advanced cocoa factories, including Premium Cocoa Products Limited in Ile-Oluji one of the country’s oldest processing plants.
According to Alamu, the group now has ten processing factories with a combined capacity of 48,000 metric tonnes of cocoa annually, serving export markets in Europe, Asia, and the United States.
“Value addition is not only about profit; it is about positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in global commodity markets,” Alamu said, noting that the company’s investments have created jobs, strengthened supply chains, and supported smallholder farmers.
Beyond cocoa, Johnvents Group is scaling operations in sesame, legumes, cashew, and rice, helping Nigeria capture a greater share of the international agricultural value chain.
Alamu, who began his business journey in 2014 with just ₦100,000, said his goal extends beyond corporate growth to economic independence for Africa.
“The next struggle, like independence, is economic freedom and that requires courage, disruption, and African confidence,” he said.
Under CapitalSage Holdings, the group now employs over 2,000 people directly and supports more than 10,000 farmers, integrating finance, agribusiness, and manufacturing across several continents.
Alamu’s call comes at a time when policymakers are urging increased local processing of Nigeria’s major crops to improve export earnings, reduce dependence on imported goods, and build industrial resilience in line with the government’s non-oil export diversification plan.
