The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a draft bill to create the National Cocoa Management Board, a significant step towards reviving Nigeria’s cocoa industry.
The approval was granted on Monday, May 6, 2025, during the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Following the meeting, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari announced that the draft bill will be transmitted to the National Assembly through the Federal Ministry of Justice for legislative consideration.
Kyari described cocoa as Nigeria’s top non-oil foreign exchange earner and a key contributor to the nation’s GDP, but noted that the country still lags behind regional leaders, such as Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
He said both countries have established national boards that have helped strengthen and expand their cocoa sectors, prompting Nigeria to adopt a similar model.
According to the minister, the idea for the new board was conceived after extensive consultations and a feasibility study conducted by the Cocoa Management Committee, which was established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
The proposed board, he added, will include representatives from the public and private sectors, including state governments and research institutions, to ensure an all-inclusive structure.
Kyari said, “We have been in talks with our neighbours in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to explore how their national boards have succeeded, and part of our resolution is to replicate that model here. Representatives of sub-national governments, likely deputy governors, and cocoa research institutes, will have seats on the board.”
The move is expected to reposition Nigeria’s cocoa industry for greater productivity, competitiveness, and sustainable growth, with the aim of regaining lost ground in the global cocoa market.
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