Nigeria, African Nations Endorse Abuja Declaration to Strengthen Cocoa Industry

Nigeria and other cocoa-producing African countries have adopted the Abuja Declaration, a landmark framework aimed at boosting local cocoa processing, improving farmers’ earnings, and positioning the continent for greater influence in the global cocoa value chain.

Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Enoh, announced the agreement in a statement on Sunday, highlighting the outcomes of the recently concluded Cocoa Value Addition Summit in Abuja.

Enoh explained that the declaration seeks to correct long-standing imbalances in the global cocoa trade, where Africa produces most of the world’s cocoa but earns only a fraction of its total value.

“For generations, our cocoa has left home unfinished, and returned to us finished, at prices we had no hand in setting. The Summit was called to bridge that gap,” he said.

Under the Abuja Declaration, participating nations pledged to pursue a coordinated approach to global cocoa trade, enhance competitiveness, and raise supply chain standards.

The framework also prepares African producers for new global trade rules, including the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation, which takes effect on December 30, 2026.

The regulation will require exporters to prove that commodities such as cocoa are not linked to deforestation, a move expected to reshape agricultural trade worldwide.

Enoh stressed that the declaration would benefit stakeholders across the cocoa value chain from farmers seeking fairer prices to processors scaling production and entrepreneurs building globally recognized brands.

Nigeria, alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Cameroon, remains one of Africa’s leading cocoa producers. However, much of its cocoa is still exported as raw beans, limiting its share of the multibillion-dollar global chocolate and confectionery market.

The summit and Abuja Declaration form part of broader efforts to encourage local processing, strengthen supply chain standards, and enable African countries to capture more value from their cocoa industries.

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