Exclusive: Inspiring Nigeria’s next cocoa generation

This year’s World Confectionery Conference in Brussels attracted a broad range of speakers, including HRM Oba Dokun Thompson, a traditional regional ruler from the Eti-Oni region of South West Nigeria. Editor Neill Barston meets the cocoa specialist in the Belgian capital to reflect on the event, and key sector developments

Q: How did you find participating in this WCC event in Brussels?
A: The World Confectionery Conference went very well this year. Last year I couldn’t make it, but my wife (Queen Angelique- Monet), was able to make it representing me, which I was very happy about. She understands my passion, and the challenges that we are facing in cocoa, and as a country, and even as cocoa producers and farmers. For 2025, I was glad to be here and meet other people, and made some direct contact with companies and individuals which was interesting.

Q: One of the most notable moments in your comments was on Fairtrade – can you recap this for us?
A: For me, Fairtrade is trying to do well, 12 confectioneryproduction.com
but how do we actually define fair? What is fair for one person is not necessarily fair for another. When we are looking at trade, we need to be a little more objective, practical, and also look to simplify things in such
a way that it is not seen as a commercial activity, but more about achieving impact.

Q: How has the upturn in cocoa prices earlier in 2025 impacted the market?
A: The hike in prices that has been seen this year has created a situation where young farmers are coming into cocoa, trying to revive farms that have been abandoned in Nigeria. This is very encouraging, because this year the country was struggling between 260-280 tonnes production, against a figure of just over 300,000 tonnes for export in 2024. But I believe we are going to going to have seen more for this year, as new farms are being developed, as well as those that younger farmers are going back into and reviving. So there’s going to be some level of increase.

Q: In your home region of Eti-Oni, South West Nigeria, together with the Queen, you started a cocoa festival. How has that progressed?
A: What we set out to do with the cocoa festival was create an understanding and awareness of the value of the crops, of what people are holding in their hands. At the same time, to bring into perspective, these global definitions around fine flavour cocoa. This prompted the International Cocoa Organisation to look at why it is that just places such as Madagascar are producing finer flavour cocoa. Ghana and Cameroon have also been classified as producing some level of cocoa in this category. For Nigeria, we are not just going to look at a mere statement, we want to make sure everything we do is based on scientific research.

In Eti Oni, we have samples, and we are working on a project with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences to determine the quantitative analysis based on agricultural practices of the cocoa to establish its flavour profiles.

Q: You have been involved in creating a premium chocolate series, Grand Gureje IV. How has that developed?
A: The bar is going fine – we are working out an investment plan to ensure that we can put it firmly in place. There are several players interested in it, but we haven’t come up with a final plan yet. It’s being made in small batches to keep it going – it’s a beautiful concept.

When the complete value chain is owned by the community, even partially, that can provide the necessary investment to turn things around. It’s not just about taking ownership of a brand, but also investing in the gaps in terms of social services/infrastructure to better their living conditions. When this happens, it means that the next generation will be interested to now begin to appreciate cocoa.

If you had previously asked young people about this, they would say ‘are you crazy?’ as their parents have been left uneducated and poor. But now, cocoa is seen as a sexy product and profession.

Q: How are preparation for the EUDR regulations in Nigeria going?
A: Nigeria is doing well, we are moving ahead with our EUDR compliance – it has created an opportunity for us as country to see how we can develop a national framework around traceability and sustainability for several commodities. The government will take ownership of what is necessary to protect the sovereignty of data and how it relates to the land, as
we are talking about sensitive geospatial monitoring of the landscape of a country.”

Q: What keeps you passionate about trying to drive the industry in Nigeria forward?
A: When my great grandfather started cocoa production, he did not look at it as something to have no meaning. He saw it as a tool and resource that could build a new settlement after a time of war. So, each time a new Oloni (traditional ruler) is there, they take on that responsibility for that dream.
To have that vision, you have to have a clear understanding, as the war wasn’t about Eti-Oni there – it was about the nation (the Kiriji conflict of 1878 to 1886), and it was my great grandfather and his associated were the ones that changed the dynamics of the war – his army had less troops but was the first use of semi-automatic rifles in the region, and developing cocoa there was a part of bringing peace, and it has been a mainstay of the region’s economy.

That is why we started the cocoa festival in Eti Oni, to celebrate peace, love and development. We are doing this to help bring prosperity to people and transform their fortunes – not just for Eti-Oni, but in all parts of the world.
We are creating a model that can be replicated across these regions. Nobody
in any part of the world needs to live in poverty, especially if they have some kind of resources like this (cocoa). It’s just how we define these things, and how we are able to collaborate to use it for the good of humanity.

• Oba Doku Thompson will be playing his part at the Cocoa beyond Borders event in London between 27-28 January, for more details visit nielsonsmith.com/events/cocoa