Dike Onwuamaeze
The National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Jani Ibrahim, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for banning the export of raw cocoa beans.
Ibrahim described the ban as a timely and strategic intervention that aligned with NACCIMA’s long-standing advocacy for value addition, industrialisation, and the development of competitive local industries capable of creating jobs, increasing export earnings, and strengthening Nigeria’s economy.
He said that Nigeria could no longer afford to remain primarily an exporter of raw agricultural commodities while other countries reap the greater economic benefits of processing and manufacturing finished products.
“The decision to prioritise local cocoa processing represents a significant step towards transforming Nigeria’s agricultural value chain. Beyond increasing foreign exchange earnings, it will stimulate investments in processing facilities, create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, encourage technology transfer, and enhance the global competitiveness of Nigerian cocoa products,” Ibrahim said. He added that the policy has the potential to catalyse growth across the manufacturing and agro-processing sectors while strengthening linkages between farmers, processors, exporters, and other players in the cocoa value chain. Ibrahim also explained that NACCIMA championed the Nigeria Infrastructure Conference (INFRACON), which was held a few days ago, to mobilise private sector capital in addressing Nigeria’s infrastructure deficits.
