By HAMEED OYEGBADE

Stakeholders in the cocoa value chain have called on Nigerian government to put necessary policies in place to prevent exploitation of cocoa farmers.

This was the thrust of a press conference heralding the 2024 International Cocoa and Chocolate Forum (ICCF) billed to hold Lagos and Abuja next year January.

The ICCF is the main platform by International Cocoa Diplomacy for networking, partnerships, collaboration, ideas and cultural exchange, bilateral trade, opportunities, learning and forming new alliances.

The event with the theme, “Putting Value in Cocoa at Producing Regions”, is being organized in partnership with Nigerian Export and Import Bank, NEXIM Bank and Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN).

The Managing Director of Sunbeth Global Concept, Mr Olasunkanmi Owoyemi, urged Nigerian government to develop policies to enhance cocoa value chain so as to protect the local cocoa economy players.

Also, Managing Director/Chief Executive of Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Abba Bello reiterated need for Nigeria to add value to its cocoa exports as a major step towards maximizing the benefits of investments in the sector.

Bello noted that cocoa is a leading non-oil export commodity in Nigeria which was a major driver of foreign exchange earnings for the country during the pre-oil era.

Represented by Mr Tayo Omidiji, NEXIM Bank’s Head of Strategy and Corporate Communication, Bello said Nigeria has lost its leading position in the production and export of cocoa over the years to now rank about the 4^th producer behind countries like Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Indonesia.

Speaking on behalf of Executive Director, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Dr. Patrick Adebola, the Director, Cocoa Programme of the Institute, Dr Samuel Orisajo said that CRIN is providing necessary supports to cocoa farmers to ensure that they get it right in terms of best agricultural practices and add value to their cocoa so as to make maximum gains..

A member of the ICCF2024 Team, Mr Shola Mohammed, told journalists that ICCF is billed to take place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 while the event would also come up in Lagos at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday, January 11, 2024.

Mohammed said the ICCF-2024-Nigeria is a follow up on the discussion at the recently concluded UK edition in October 2023 with focus on the new EU policy, its effect on cocoa producing regions and the way forward for the global cocoa trade.

According to him, “ICCF2024-NIGERIA is a call to action to continue the discussion where policy formation will meet investment requirements for the sole purpose of creating the cocoa culture that will begin to intentionally add value to cocoa and create wealth at origin to reduce dominance of the industry by consuming regions and to also explore ways for shared value and prosperity creation purposes.”

He said the event would bring policy makers, financial institutions and stakeholders from across the continent together to exploit ways of taking advantage of African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA and other emerging cocoa and chocolate markets to optimize the potentials.

He also said the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Chief Olawale Edun would be the Chairman of the Forum in Abuja and will declare the Forum open with an address that will focus on the future of cocoa and value add and the role it is expected to play in Nigeria’s emerging and transformational economy.

He added that the Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari, would be the Special Guest and Keynote Speaker to deliver an address on Productivity versus Production in Agriculture in relation to Value Creation within the singular market, AfCFTA.

He said the First Lady of Kwara State, Nigeria, Ambassador (Prof) Olufolake Abdulrazaq, who is the Honorary Global Ambassador of International Cocoa Diplomacy would deliver a goodwill message with focus on the importance of diplomacy to address the several Issues facing the cocoa industry.

Mohammed said the First Secretary, Trade and Economic Issues at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Rikard Nordeman, would make a presentation on the much talked about EU Regulation on Sustainability known as EUDR and that there will also be other panelists of policy makers and stakeholders who will discuss several important topics.

The topics includes: “The impact of EUDR compliance on the Nigeria cocoa sector: Opportunities and Consequences”, “COP28 Resolutions: Climate-resilience in the Nigerian cocoa sector”, and “Expand thinking beyond cocoa beans and the opportunities for investment and job creation”.

Mohammed told journalists that Lagos session would be declared opened by the state Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as Chief Host and that the Governor would also deliver an address on Lagos as the nation’s centre of excellence with possibility of a defined cocoa culture and its huge value and wealth creation potentials.

He said: “This Is to seize the opportunity of Lagos being the biggest market in the continent and bring together Investors, Entrepreneurs, Equipment Providers, etc, for the purpose of looking into new business models that will encourage partnerships and collaboration to accelerate value addition in Nigeria and subsequently the continent.”

The Minister of Trade and Investment is also expected at the Lagos Session as Special Guest and Keynote Speaker to deliver an address on Collaboration and Partnership as the key to unlocking investment opportunities within AfCFTA and reaching emerging markets as well as the Minister of Environment who will deliver a keynote on the link between Sustainability and Investments for a global market.

Some of the topics for discussion at the Lagos Session include; “Opportunities for Wealth Creation within AfCTA: Looking at Cocoa in a new light”, “Cocoa value add opportunities, the barriers and solutions for success”, as well as “The Future of Cocoa and its Transformational potentials”.

International Cocoa Diplomacy, ICD was founded in 2020 by HRM Oba Dokun Thompson, The Oloni of Eti-Oni, Osun State following many years of successfully hosting several programs of the Cocoa Renaissance Initiative to address the several issues faced by the cocoa industry towards building a strong and robust local cocoa economy employing tools of diplomacy.

ICD is working to build the cocoa culture for better understanding and appreciation in producing regions through its several events and activities that will bring together cocoa farmers from across cocoa-producing regions of the world, cocoa processors and traders, industry actors, cocoa researchers and experts, policy and decision-makers, chocolate makers, equipment manufacturers, cocoa value and supply chain players and all key stakeholders to achieve its objective of bridging the gap between producing regions and consuming nations for shared value and shared prosperity purposes that will return cocoa farmers self-worth and dignity as well as improve their livelihood towards achieving sustainability while transforming these producing regions

•PHOTO: L-R; ICCF2024 Team member, Mr Shola Mohammed, Managing Director, Sunbeth Global Concepts, Mr Olasukanmi Owoyemi, NEXIM Bank’s Head of Strategy and Corporate Communication, Mr Tayo Omidiji, The Oloni of Eti-Oni, Osun State and Founder of International Cocoa Diplomacy, HRM Oba Dokun Thompson and the Director, Cocoa Program at Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Dr Samuel Orisajo, at the press conference in Lagos on Thursday.

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