• Nigeria launches strategy to boost palm oil production
• Plan targets 10% global market share and sector reforms
• Country seeks self-sufficiency while reducing import dependence

Nigeria has unveiled a national strategy to develop its palm oil sector. The roadmap, presented at a stakeholder meeting in Abuja on April 2, aims to secure 10% of the global palm oil market over the next six years and achieve self-sufficiency by 2050, according to authorities.

Local media report that the plan will focus on improving oil palm yields, expanding cultivated areas and modernising processing infrastructure.

Beyond primary production, the strategy also includes institutional reforms to better structure governance of the sector. It предусматри the creation of a National Palm Oil Council, along with dedicated financing mechanisms, including a sector development fund and a fund for smallholder farmers.

“We have never had a policy before. This is the first time Nigeria will have a document validated and launched by the government and stakeholders to drive, regulate and stimulate the industry,” said Alphonsus Nyang, president of the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria.

According to Nyang, the new framework will establish a governance structure similar to those in leading palm oil producers such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

Currently, local production covers about 75% of domestic demand. In its latest world oilseed market report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Nigeria to produce 1.5 million metric tons of palm oil in 2026, unchanged from the previous year, while consumption is estimated at 1.95 million metric tons.

The deficit is met through imports. According to the USDA, Nigeria sources about 92% of its palm oil imports from Malaysia, with the remainder coming from Ghana, Indonesia and Côte d’Ivoire. Significant volumes of unregistered palm oil derivatives also enter the market through informal cross-border trade from neighbouring countries including Benin, Togo and Cameroon.

Stéphanas Assocle