ICD, LCCI push for cocoa value addition to boost exports
The International Cocoa Diplomacy (ICD) and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) have called for increased value addition in Nigeria’s cocoa sector, stressing the need to shift from raw exports to local processing and manufacturing to expand the country’s share of the $140 billion global chocolate market.
Speaking at a pre-event press conference ahead of the Eko Chocolate Show 2025, stakeholders said that boosting domestic cocoa processing would create jobs, stimulate industrial growth, and support Nigeria’s broader non-oil export agenda.
They explained that integrating the show into the Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF) would help spotlight Nigeria’s potential to compete globally in chocolate production and related industries.
Queen Angelique-Monet Gureje-Thompson, the Yeyeluwa Olori of Eti-Oni and Co-Founder of ICD, noted that although West Africa produces about 70 percent of the world’s cocoa, less than 2 percent is transformed into finished products such as chocolate.
Gureje-Thompson said bridging this gap through local manufacturing and knowledge transfer could unlock billions in economic value for Nigeria and the continent.
“West Africa produces 70 percent of global cocoa, Nigeria ranks as the 4th largest producer globally, less than 2 percent of African cocoa is processed into finished products or chocolate, and there’s a massive value addition potential worth billions in economic impact,” she said.
Gureje-Thompson explained that the Eko Chocolate Show 2025, organised by the ICD in partnership with the LCCI, is designed to promote this goal by linking cocoa, culture, and commerce under one platform.
“The event, which will be held as part of the LITF, will feature exhibitions, film and arts festivals, and a royal symphony concert aimed at celebrating Nigeria’s cocoa heritage and advancing value addition across the sector,” she said.
She added that this year’s Eko Chocolate Show, set to hold from 8th to 14th November, 2025, will form part of the activities lined up for the LITF, West Africa’s largest business exhibition organised by the LCCI.
The fair, which attracts thousands of exhibitors and visitors annually, provides a platform for industries to showcase innovation, forge partnerships, and promote non-oil exports.
This edition, she said, will give special focus to cocoa and creative industries, underscoring their role in advancing Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.
Abimbola Olashore, vice president of LCCI and chairman of the Trade Promotion Board, said the collaboration with ICD reflects the chamber’s vision to turn the LITF into a platform for partnership and innovation rather than mere buying and selling.
Olashore described the initiative as a step toward changing the narrative of Nigeria from an exporter of raw materials to a nation of producers.
He noted that by featuring initiatives such as the Eko Chocolate Show, the fair is expanding its scope to highlight sectors capable of transforming Nigeria’s economy through value addition, creativity, and export diversification.
“If we don’t create the environment or showcase what we are doing, we cannot move beyond exporting raw produce,” he said.
Also speaking, Sola Oluwadare, director of Trade Promotion at LCCI, described this year’s fair as a milestone edition that introduces new specialised segments such as the Eko Chocolate Show.
Oluwadare said the initiative marks a shift from the traditional trade exhibition format to a more inclusive festival-style fair that accommodates diverse sectors, from agriculture and manufacturing to technology and culture.
According to him, the 2025 edition aims to “create a platform that goes beyond trade to celebrate innovation, creativity, and enterprise across all classes of people and professionals.
