Yemisi Izuora
Nigeria and industry players working in partnership to revive the country’s struggling coffee sector. Backed by plantation projects, improved seedlings and plans for local processing, the efforts aim to restore Africa’s most populous nation as a player in the global coffee market.
The latest initiative was launched in Ondo State, where the federal government, the African Alliance of Cocoa and Coffee Producers (COCEFAAA), the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria (NACOFTAN) and Lingzhi Global Nigeria Ltd unveiled a 1,000-hectare coffee project in early May.
The project is intended to serve as a model for reviving coffee cultivation across Nigeria, with plans to create jobs, expand local processing and increase higher-value exports.
The project also reflects renewed government interest in the sector. In January, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security announced plans to distribute improved seedlings to coffee and tea farmers to stimulate domestic production.
Government-backed initiatives are being accompanied by growing private sector investment in the industry.
In March 2025, agribusiness group JR Farm signed an agreement with the Cross River State government to develop 30,000 hectares of coffee plantations over five years across the state’s 18 local government areas. The first phase includes plans to cultivate arabica coffee in the Boki and Obanliku areas.
Separately, NACOFTAN and the Nigerian Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) signed a memorandum of understanding in March 2025 aimed at strengthening research, improving access to high-yield seeds and supporting smallholder farmers.
Under the partnership, NACOFTAN also plans to develop 28,000 hectares of combined coffee and tea plantations in Taraba State over seven years.
The projects are intended to revive Nigeria’s coffee output, which remains limited. According to data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the area dedicated to coffee cultivation stagnated at 1,450 hectares between 2016 and 2023.
Production also remained unchanged at around 1,800 tonnes during the period, far below the nearly 6,000 tonnes recorded in the 1980s, according to the agency.
Beyond the plantation projects already announced, industry groups are calling for a coordinated national strategy to support the sector’s recovery.
COCEFAAA is advocating for the adoption of a national coffee policy integrated into Nigeria’s broader agricultural development plans.
Companies involved in the new projects have likewise highlighted the need to strengthen farmer training and improve traceability systems.
With coffee production in Africa still largely export-driven, Nigeria’s challenge will be to develop coffee into a meaningful source of agricultural revenue alongside export crops such as cocoa and cashew.