Oyo opens cocoa value chain to investors, farmers, youths and development partners.
IBADAN — The Oyo State Government has launched a three-year Cocoa Restoration Project aimed at revitalising the state’s cocoa industry, with a target of producing and distributing one million improved seedlings by April–June 2027.
The initiative, running from August 2026 to August 2029, is designed to strengthen the entire cocoa value chain—from production and nursery development to aggregation, processing, investment and market access.
The project was unveiled at a stakeholders’ workshop held on Monday at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, bringing together farmers, investors, development institutions, government agencies and private-sector operators.
OYSADA Director-General and Executive Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Agribusiness and International Cooperation Development, Dr. Adebowale “Debo” Akande, described the intervention as a deliberate component of the state’s long-term agribusiness strategy.
Akande said cocoa development had been embedded in the state’s agricultural strategy since 2019, stressing that the administration was now translating the policy into measurable interventions.
The first phase will cover Oluyole, Ona Ara, Akinyele, Lagelu, Egbeda and Afijio, among the state’s 18 recognised cocoa-producing local government areas.
Oyo currently produces an estimated 33,000 metric tonnes of cocoa, positioning the commodity as a significant contributor to rural livelihoods and the state’s agricultural economy.
The project will be implemented around Science, Logic and Data, with technical support from IITA and collaboration with relevant public and private-sector partners.
It will also complement existing agricultural programmes, including SAPZ, L-PRES and N-CARES, particularly in processing, rural infrastructure and market access.
Beyond farming, the initiative is expected to create opportunities for youths and women in nursery management, aggregation, processing, logistics, technology and marketing.
The government’s broader objective, OYSADA said, is to transform cocoa from a predominantly raw agricultural commodity into a competitive agribusiness and value-addition sector capable of attracting investment, creating jobs and increasing farmers’ incomes.
As implementation progresses to 2029, the administration is expected to deepen partnerships and establish measurable milestones for restoring Oyo’s cocoa economy.
For Oyo, the cocoa revival is no longer a policy aspiration—it is now a three-year implementation agenda.
