The Federal Government has clarified that it has no intention to ban the export of raw cocoa beans, emphasizing that its policy focuses on promoting local value addition while sustaining Nigeria's position in the global cocoa market.
Minister's clarification on cocoa export policy
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, issued a statement on Friday to address public discussions sparked by comments made by President Bola Tinubu during the Cocoa Value Addition Summit 2026 in Abuja. “Our objective is value addition, not an export ban,” Kyari stated.
He explained that the government's priority under the Renewed Hope Agenda is to build a globally competitive cocoa industry by encouraging greater domestic processing while allowing raw cocoa exports to continue. According to the minister, the government aims to create an enabling environment that attracts investment into cocoa processing, improves farmers' incomes, creates jobs, and increases Nigeria's earnings from cocoa exports.
Balancing exports and local processing
“Raw cocoa exports will continue to play an important role as we expand domestic processing capacity. Our goal is to create an enabling environment that encourages more investment in processing, increases farmers’ incomes, creates jobs, and enables Nigeria to earn more from every tonne of cocoa produced,” Kyari said.
The minister added that the policy aligns with ongoing efforts to improve traceability in agricultural exports and ensure compliance with international standards to sustain Nigeria's access to premium export markets. “The message is clear: the Federal Government is not banning raw cocoa exports. We are promoting value addition so that Nigeria captures more value from its cocoa while remaining competitive in the global market,” he added.
President's stance on cocoa value addition
The clarification comes three days after President Bola Tinubu declared that Nigeria must move beyond exporting raw cocoa beans and instead process more cocoa locally to capture a greater share of the global chocolate market. Represented by Kyari at the Cocoa Value Addition Summit in Abuja, the president said Nigeria could no longer afford to export raw beans while importing finished chocolate products, arguing that local processing would create jobs, attract investment, and boost foreign exchange earnings.
President Tinubu highlighted ongoing investments in domestic processing, including a 70,000-metric-tonne processing facility under construction in Sagamu, Ogun State. He also noted that Nigeria's annual cocoa grinding capacity has exceeded 120,000 metric tonnes.
Industry roadmap and financing commitments
At the summit, government officials, development partners, and industry stakeholders endorsed a roadmap to expand cocoa processing. The Bank of Industry pledged financing for investments across the cocoa value chain. The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Cocoa Value Addition Accord and a proposed Abuja Declaration to accelerate local processing and strengthen collaboration among Africa's leading cocoa-producing countries.
Nigeria's position in global cocoa market
Nigeria is a leading cocoa producer, accounting for about six to seven percent of global output. However, like many African producers, it exports much of its cocoa in raw form, while the value from processing, branding, and chocolate manufacturing is captured outside the continent. The government's policy aims to change this by promoting domestic value addition without imposing an export ban.
