FG to showcase one million hectare tree crops plan to EU investors in Brussels

The Federal Government will showcase Nigeria’s one-million-hectare tree crops expansion programme to European cocoa industry leaders and investors in Brussels on Thursday, as it seeks to attract investment and strengthen the country’s position in the global cocoa market.

The presentation will take place at the Nigeria/West Africa Cocoa Origins–EU Industry Match-Making Forum, organised on the sidelines of the Nigeria–Belgium-Luxembourg Business Forum.

The announcement was contained in a joint press release issued by the Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement Project Management Office (AgPE PMO), in the Office of the Vice President, and the EU–Nigeria Agribusiness Platform (EUNAP), managed by Agribusiness Register Limited.

The forum is organised by EUNAP under an European Union Global Gateway grant, with support from the European Cocoa Association (ECA), whose members account for about 95 per cent of Europe’s cocoa grinding capacity.

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The keynote address will be delivered by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness, in the Office of the Vice President, through the AgPE PMO.

According to the statement, the presentation will be the first time the one-million-hectare tree crops expansion programme is being formally presented to a European audience, with cocoa expected to account for a significant share of the proposed expansion.

The initiative comes as European cocoa buyers prepare for the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which applies to large and medium-sized operators from December 30, 2026.

The programme is expected to address concerns among European buyers about where new cocoa cultivation will take place, how farms will be mapped and traced from establishment, and how agricultural expansion can be achieved without contributing to deforestation.

Nigeria currently has more than 350,000 cocoa-farming families cultivating over 1.4 million hectares of land, according to the statement.
The new programme is designed to expand the country’s tree crops production base while ensuring that new cultivation is deforestation-free and fully traceable.

The government is also seeking partnerships with European industry players through long-term offtake agreements, co-investment in processing facilities and region-to-region collaboration.

To ensure coordinated participation, the AgPE PMO is engaging relevant federal ministries, departments and agencies, as well as cocoa-producing states, ahead of the forum, particularly on the proposed regional partnership arrangements.

The statement added that both parties had agreed on terms of reference for sustained collaboration beyond the forum, covering policy engagement, mobilisation of grants and development financing, and the commercialisation of cocoa and other agricultural value chains.

Speaking on the partnership, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness, Dr Kingsley Uzoma, said Nigeria was presenting a structured investment plan backed by traceability and responsible land-use practices.

“Nigeria is presenting European industry with a plan, not a promise. The expansion of our tree crops will be planned, mapped and traced from the first seedling, so that every new hectare strengthens Nigeria’s standing as a responsible origin,” Uzoma said.

Also speaking, the Founder and Director of Agribusiness Register Limited and Project Director of EUNAP, Roland Oroh, said European industry players were seeking reliable supply, consistency and verifiable evidence of sustainable production from cocoa-producing countries.

“European industry has told us plainly what it needs from origin: scale, consistency and proof. The presence of the SSAP in the plenary answers the question every European buyer asks first — whether Nigeria’s commitment reaches the highest level of government,” Oroh said.

The forum will bring together European cocoa grinders, chocolate manufacturers and traders with vetted exporters, processors and cooperative federations from Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

Its programme will feature pre-arranged business-to-business meetings, financing discussions, region-to-region partnership sessions and an Investment Wall showcasing four flagship Nigerian projects.

The event will also be accessible virtually through EUNAP’s online deal room, allowing participants to engage with prospective partners beyond the physical gathering.

The Federal Government’s participation is expected to provide an opportunity to present Nigeria’s investment prospects in cocoa and other tree crops, while encouraging partnerships that could support production expansion, local processing and stronger integration into European supply chains.