At 3rd cocoa annual festival, Nigeria’s Cocoa Industry aims for Sustainability, Youth Engagement

Nigeria’s cocoa sector is undergoing significant transformation, focusing on sustainability, youth involvement, and compliance with global regulations.
This shift was highlighted at the recent 3rd National Cocoa Festival in Calabar, organized by the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) and the Cocoa Roundtable Initiative (CORI).

The festival brought together over 300 participants, including government officials, industry leaders, and farmers, to address challenges such as compliance with the European Union’s Deforestation Regulations (EUDR) and the promotion of local processing and sustainability initiatives.

These were contained in a communique issued on Fridday after a pivotal two-day 3rd National Festival held at the Metropolitan Hotel in Calabar led by the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) and Cocoa Roundtable Initiative (CORI).

The Nigeria’s cocoa industry, a significant contributor to the national economy, has been facing critical challenges in complying with the European Union’s Deforestation Regulations (EUDR).

To address the challenges and leverage opportunities for growth, the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN) and Cocoa Roundtable Initiative (CORI) convened all relevant stakeholders in the cocoa industry, both local and international to its 3rd National Cocoa Festival, tagged Calabar 2024 to deliberate on achieving EUDR compliance and cocoa value chain sustainability  through youth entrepreneurship.
The two-day 3rd National Cocoa Festival was themed: Calabar 2024 on the Roles of the National Cocoa Management Committee and Others in Mobilizing Stakeholders into European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) Compliance and Cocoa Value Addition and Youth Entrepreneurship: Key to Nigeria Cocoa Sustainability.
The stakeholders had outlined key actions to boost local processing, promote sustainability, and tackle critical issues like adulterated agrochemicals and outdated land tenure systems.
The communique which was issued by the chairman of the communique drafting committee Mr. Kazeem Sanni of the Rainforest Alliance, prioritized updating forest cover and land use maps across cocoa-producing regions to align with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and establishing a national traceability system. 

The communique also canvassed for greater youth and private sector involvement, particularly in cocoa-related businesses, to secure the sector’s future.

“We are committed to building a sustainable, youth-inclusive cocoa industry,” the communique indicated, emphasizing the urgent need for government backing and regulatory reforms. 

By investing in infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, and partnerships with top cocoa-producing countries, Nigeria aims to become a global model in cocoa sustainability and industry growth.

The communique also outlined Action Plan for Strengthening Nigeria’s Cocoa Industry to include more emphasis on a focus on boosting local processing and consumption of cocoa products to add value domestically

“The government and NCMC should lead in updating and standardizing data on the cocoa value chain by completing and publishing a national cocoa policy.”

The communique also recommended the need to Launch awareness campaigns for stakeholders on EUDR and other relevant regulations through collaborations to remove adulterated agrochemicals from the market.

It also advocated for Sustainable Farming Practices by ncouraging farmers to adopt sustainability initiatives and best practices as well as strengthening farmers’ training on safe agrochemical handling and promote crop diversification.

Other recommendations as outlined in the communique included to update forest cover and land use maps in all cocoa-producing states.

It urged Government to review land tenure systems to improve land security for farmers.

It also canvassed for the Establishment of a national traceability system with industry experts for better transparency and compliance.

The need to Boost support for research institutes to advance Climate-Smart Agricultural practices was also canvassed by the communique as well as the need to Introduce policies that support agroforestry practices in cocoa farming for environmental sustainability.

The need to develop mechanisms for collaboration and feedback within the industry was also advocated as well as the necessity to create an enabling environment for private sector and youth engagement in the cocoa value chain.

It also called for improvement in the infrastructure in cocoa-growing regions to support processing and distribution.

The fluctuating value of the Naira was also a topic for which the communique canvassed for implementation of policies to stabilize the naira and simplify farmers’ access to foreign exchange for imports.

The communique urged NCMC to partner with leading cocoa-producing countries for knowledge exchange and industry growth.

It urged Government and MDAs to create platforms for youth to learn and engage in cocoa-related businesses (e.g., chocolate, soap making) in collaboration with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria.

Finally the communique asserted that if the strategic goals are aligned with as well as  the strong political support and industry collaboration, Nigeria can elevate its cocoa industry for long-term growth and sustainability.