By Chibuzor Alli
Nigeria’s cocoa bean exports to the United States surged by 554 per cent to $142m in 2025, up from $21.7m in 2024, highlighting the country’s growing export potential as the Federal Government pushes to retain more of the commodity’s value through local processing.
The figures, disclosed by the United States Mission in Nigeria in a social media post on Tuesday, point to a sharp increase in the value of Nigerian cocoa shipments to one of the world’s major consumer markets.
Reacting to the development, the mission highlighted the opportunities available beyond the American market, stating, “This is just to US, we have not talked about Europe, China, India etc. Nigeria is rising, position yourself appropriately,” the mission stated.
The export surge underscores the potential for cocoa to contribute more significantly to Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings, particularly as global demand creates opportunities for agricultural producers to expand their international reach.
However, the growing value of raw cocoa exports also raises a broader economic question: how much of the wealth generated by the commodity can Nigeria retain if more of its processing and manufacturing takes place locally?
Tinubu Pushes to End Raw Cocoa Exports
The Federal Government has intensified efforts to transform Nigeria’s cocoa industry by encouraging domestic processing, manufacturing and value addition.
In July, President Bola Tinubu announced plans to end the export of raw cocoa beans, arguing that Nigeria should no longer export unprocessed agricultural commodities while importing finished products such as chocolate.
The President said the country needed to move beyond exporting raw materials without capturing their full economic value. He stressed that developing domestic industries would help create jobs, attract investment and increase foreign exchange earnings.
Represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, at the Cocoa Value Addition Summit 2026 in Abuja, Tinubu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the cocoa value chain through local processing and manufacturing.
The policy direction seeks to ensure that Nigeria earns more from the different stages of cocoa production, rather than relying predominantly on the sale of raw beans.
Africa Supplies Cocoa but Misses Out on Chocolate Wealth
The challenge facing Nigeria reflects a wider imbalance in the global cocoa industry, where African countries account for a significant share of production but capture a much smaller portion of the value generated by finished chocolate products.
Speaking at the summit, Kyari said Africa produces about 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa but earns only a small share of the more than $130bn global chocolate industry.
He attributed the gap to the concentration of processing, branding and manufacturing activities outside the continent, which limits the economic benefits retained by cocoa-producing countries.
For Nigeria, expanding domestic processing could open opportunities across chocolate manufacturing, food processing, packaging, logistics and other related industries.
A stronger local value chain could also create additional employment, attract industrial investment and help Nigerian businesses compete in higher-value segments of the international cocoa market.
Export Boom Creates Opportunity for Local Industry
The 554 per cent increase in cocoa bean exports to the United States provides a positive signal for Nigeria’s agricultural export prospects. Yet the long-term economic benefits will depend partly on whether the country can translate rising international demand into stronger domestic manufacturing capacity.
Rather than focusing exclusively on exporting more raw beans, Nigeria’s cocoa industry could benefit from expanding the production of cocoa butter, cocoa powder, chocolate and other processed products for domestic consumption and international markets.
Achieving that transition, however, will require investment in processing facilities, reliable electricity, financing, quality standards and access to export markets.
The government’s proposed shift towards local value addition therefore presents both an opportunity and a challenge for cocoa farmers, exporters and manufacturers. While exporters can benefit from stronger overseas demand, processors will need sufficient infrastructure and capital to compete with established international producers.
The Cocoa Value Addition Summit, themed ‘From Bean to Brand: The Bean in My Hand, The Brand in Our Future’, brought together ministers, state governors, development partners, financiers, cocoa-producing countries and other industry stakeholders to develop a new roadmap for Africa’s cocoa industry.
Ultimately, Nigeria’s ability to build a more profitable cocoa sector will depend not only on how much it exports, but also
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