Nigeria's Cocoa Exports to US Surge 554% in 2025

Nigeria's cocoa bean exports to the United States increased significantly by 554% to $142 million in 2025, compared to $21.7 million in 2024, as reported by the United States Mission in Nigeria. This surge indicates a rising demand for Nigerian cocoa in the global market, presenting an opportunity for increased foreign exchange earnings.

The US Mission emphasized that this figure pertains only to exports to the US, without accounting for other markets like Europe and Asia. In response to this growth, President Bola Tinubu announced plans to cease the export of raw cocoa beans, advocating for the development of local processing and manufacturing to capture more economic value.

At the Cocoa Value Addition Summit 2026 in Abuja, represented by Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari, Tinubu reiterated the government's commitment to strengthening the cocoa value chain. Kyari noted that while Africa produces about 70% of the world's cocoa, it earns a small fraction of the $130 billion global chocolate industry, highlighting the need for local value addition.