Value Addition: NACCIMA Applauds Tinubu’s Ban on Raw Cocoa Exports, Pushes for Value-Driven Industrial Growth
Oru Leonard
The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), has hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive prohibiting the export of raw cocoa beans, describing the policy as a landmark step towards industrialisation, job creation, and sustainable economic growth.
In a statement issued by the Association’s National Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Madinat Adigun-Oladotun, the National President of NACCIMA, Engr. Jani Ibrahim, mni, OON, said the policy reflects the association’s long-standing advocacy for local value addition and the development of a robust manufacturing sector.
According to Engr. Ibrahim, Nigeria must move beyond exporting raw agricultural commodities and instead focus on processing them locally to maximise economic value, boost foreign exchange earnings, and create employment opportunities.
He noted that prioritising domestic cocoa processing would stimulate investment in processing plants, encourage technology transfer, strengthen the country’s manufacturing base, and improve the competitiveness of Nigerian cocoa products in the international market.”The decision to promote local cocoa processing is a strategic intervention that will transform Nigeria’s agricultural value chain and unlock greater economic benefits for the country,” he said.
The NACCIMA President added that the initiative would also deepen collaboration among cocoa farmers, processors, exporters, and other stakeholders, thereby enhancing productivity and expanding opportunities across the sector.
While welcoming the policy, Engr. Ibrahim stressed that its success would depend on the government’s ability to provide a conducive business environment. He identified reliable electricity, efficient transportation infrastructure, access to affordable financing, consistent policies, and investment incentives as essential for attracting private sector participation in cocoa processing.
He recalled that addressing infrastructure challenges was one of the major objectives of the recently concluded Nigeria Infrastructure Conference (INFRACON), organised by NACCIMA to mobilise private sector investment for critical infrastructure development across the country.
Engr. Ibrahim reaffirmed NACCIMA’s readiness to collaborate with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the policy, expressing confidence that it would accelerate industrialisation, enhance export competitiveness, and unlock the full economic potential of Nigeria’s cocoa industry.
