• Nigeria’s avocado association partners with Kenya to boost local production.
• Plans include introducing Hass avocado plants suited to Nigeria’s climate.
• Nigeria aims to tap into the $20.5 billion global avocado market by 2025.

Nigeria’s avocado industry is joining forces with Kenyan partners to increase local output, Adeniyi Sola-Bunmi, president of the Nigerian Avocado Society (ASN), announced. The association represents key players in the value chain.

Speaking to local daily The Nation on September 8, Sola-Bunmi said the partnership with Kenya was developed during the 5th African Avocado Congress, held in Nairobi from May 27 to 30, 2025.

Under this cooperation, ASN plans to introduce viable Hass avocado plants into Nigeria. This hybrid variety adapts well to tropical climates and can produce fruit within three years, compared with much longer cycles for local types.

The goal is to accelerate Nigeria’s still modest avocado production. “We are working on introducing quality seedlings for Nigeria's market. We now have almost 30 to 35 hectares for avocado production in Nigeria (...) We are aggregating farmers under the umbrella of the society. Farmers who can grow five trees, three trees, and four trees, which is also the Kenya model. It can also work here,” Sola-Bunmi said.

Kenya has become Africa’s leading avocado producer and exporter. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects the country’s 2025 output at 562,000 tons, with 135,000 tons valued at $175 million expected to be shipped abroad.

For Nigeria, the challenge is to gain a foothold in the global market, where its official avocado exports remain minor. Trade Map data show that in the past five years, Nigeria recorded avocado exports only once, in 2024, with shipments worth about $1,000 to the Czech Republic.

This limited presence comes as the global avocado market is forecast to reach $20.5 billion in 2025, according to Rabobank. Industry observers told Fresh Plaza that the market could double by 2030.

Stéphanas Assocle