Nigeria is intensifying efforts to revive its struggling coffee industry through a combination of government-backed programmes, private sector investments and new plantation projects aimed at restoring the country’s presence in the global coffee market.
Authorities and industry groups are focusing on expanding cultivation, distributing improved seedlings, strengthening local processing capacity and developing a coordinated national strategy to support long-term sector growth.
The latest initiative was launched in Ondo State, where the federal government joined the African Alliance of Cocoa and Coffee Producers, the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria and Lingzhi Global Nigeria Ltd to unveil a 1,000-hectare coffee plantation project earlier this month.
According to local media reports published on May 8, the Ondo project is intended to serve as a model for reviving coffee production across Nigeria by promoting job creation, local value addition and higher-value agricultural exports.
The initiative reflects growing concern over the long-term decline of Nigeria’s coffee sector, which has struggled for decades because of low investment, ageing plantations, weak processing infrastructure and limited government support.
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Nigeria was once a more significant coffee producer in Africa, but production levels have steadily weakened over time as farmers shifted toward other crops, particularly cocoa and cashew, which offered stronger commercial returns and better export opportunities.
Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization show that the area dedicated to coffee cultivation in Nigeria remained stagnant at around 1,450 hectares between 2016 and 2023. Production during that period also remained largely unchanged at about 1,800 tonnes annually, far below the nearly 6,000 tonnes recorded in the 1980s.
The federal government has recently signalled renewed interest in reversing that decline. In January, Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security announced plans to distribute improved coffee and tea seedlings to farmers as part of efforts to stimulate domestic production and modernise the sector.
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Industry participants say access to higher-yield seedlings is critical to improving productivity and encouraging more farmers to return to coffee cultivation.
Alongside public sector interventions, private investment in the industry is also gathering pace.
In March 2025, agribusiness firm JR Farm signed an agreement with the Cross River State government to establish 30,000 hectares of coffee plantations over five years across the state’s 18 local government areas.
The first phase of the project includes plans to cultivate arabica coffee in the Boki and Obanliku regions, areas considered suitable for higher-quality coffee production because of their climate and elevation.
Separately, the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria and the Raw Materials Research and Development Council signed a memorandum of understanding in March 2025 to strengthen agricultural research, improve access to improved seeds and support smallholder coffee farmers.
Under that partnership, NACOFTAN also plans to develop 28,000 hectares of combined coffee and tea plantations in Taraba State over the next seven years.
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Industry groups say plantation projects alone will not be enough to revive the sector without broader structural reforms and stronger policy coordination.
The African Alliance of Cocoa and Coffee Producers is advocating for a national coffee policy that would integrate coffee development into Nigeria’s broader agricultural strategy.
According to local media reports, COCEFAAA President Adeola Adegoke has urged the federal government to finalise and implement a comprehensive national coffee strategy that would improve access to subsidised inputs, extension services, financing and export incentives for farmers.
He also highlighted the need to strengthen local processing infrastructure, improve traceability systems and expand access to international markets to make Nigerian coffee more competitive globally.
Analysts say Nigeria’s challenge will be to transform coffee into a viable export industry capable of generating meaningful agricultural revenue while competing with more established African producers such as Ethiopia, Uganda and Côte d’Ivoire.
If successful, the new initiatives could help diversify Nigeria’s agricultural exports, create rural employment opportunities and reduce dependence on oil revenues while strengthening the country’s participation in the growing global coffee trade.
