…efforts by the Federal Government to transform Nigeria’s cocoa industry by encouraging local processing, industrialisation and value addition.Make PUNCH part of your everyday experience.Add us to your Preferred Sources In July, President Bola Tinubu announced plans to end the export of raw cocoa beans, arguing that Nig…

…promoting climate resilience. The declaration further calls for greater investment in local processing, stronger African brands and expanded access to markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The commitments are intended to strengthen Africa’s position in global cocoa and coffee value chains, pro…

…distribution of improved seedlings. He called for better prices for farmers, greater local processing, stronger research and improved data to build a sustainable value chain. He said: “Between 2011 and 2015, we gave out 601,000 pods free to farmers. After that, we had 300,000 seedlings during COVID. Presently, Federal…

…He also advocated investment in climate-resilient storage, cold chains, rural roads and local processing facilities to reduce post-harvest losses and improve farmers’ incomes. Mamedu urged the government to expand access to affordable credit, insurance and targeted subsidies, with particular attention to women and youn…

…not simply be to attract foreign companies to extract them. Nigeria should negotiate for local processing, technology transfer, skills development and domestic manufacturing. This is where Mahama’s declaration that “we will process our minerals at home” becomes particularly relevant to Nigeria. Nigeria can also use the…

…oil supplies to Nigerian domestic refineries increased significantly in August 2026, as local processing facilities received an average of 683,000 barrels per day (b/d), according to the latest industry data.The figure represents a 16.75 per cent increase from the 585,000 b/d supplied to domestic refineries in July, ac…

…supply disruptions.However, that advantage will depend on the availability of crude for local processing, operational reliability, adequate logistics and a pricing structure that allows domestic refiners to compete sustainably.The broader lesson is that energy security requires more than producing crude oil. It require…

…that the practice poses a serious threat to the state’s agro-industrialisation drive and local processing industries. The Group Managing Director of BIPC, Dr Raymond Asemakaha, made the appeal in a statement, urging farmers to supply their produce to the Bensono Concentrate Factory rather than selling it outside the st…

…can create enormous economic value: introducing higher-value crops, building local processing facilities, or refining raw materials domestically instead of exporting them unprocessed. Uganda, for example, has several artisanal gold mines but very limited refining capacity, which means much of the value leaves the count…