Kenya is forging a strategic partnership with Nigeria to break into the rapidly growing global avocado market, currently valued at over $20 billion and projected to reach $23.29 billion by 2029. This collaboration aims to empower Nigerian farmers and enable the country to tap into the lucrative international trade of avocados, often referred to as “green gold.” Analysts forecast the market will further rise to $26.71 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.76 percent.
Kenya has established itself as a powerhouse in the global avocado market, being Africa’s leading avocado exporter and the world’s sixth-largest producer. In 2021, Kenya’s avocado production reached 417,000 metric tonnes, doubling over the previous five years. The country’s main export destinations include European Union countries such as the Netherlands, France, Spain, the UK, and Germany, as well as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. Kenya’s success is attributed to factors like government support, farmer training programs, quality seedling provision, and adherence to strict international quality standards.
Nigeria’s avocado sector, in contrast, remains largely underdeveloped and focused on local consumption, despite the country’s immense agricultural potential and favorable tropical climate. The sector is predominantly made up of small-scale farmers owning less than two hectares, and current avocado production in Nigeria covers only about 30 to 35 hectares. The Avocado Society of Nigeria (ASN), led by President Ambassador Adeniyi Sola-Bunmi, is working to change this narrative by introducing quality Hass avocado seedlings from Kenya. The Hass variety is critical because it matures in as little as three years, much faster than local varieties, and it is suitable for Nigeria’s tropical conditions.
The ASN is also establishing large commercial Hass avocado farms across several Nigerian states, including Imo, Ogun, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Cross Rivers, and Oyo, and is engaged in sensitization, advocacy, training, and capacity building to encourage more farmers to adopt avocado cultivation. The society follows a model similar to Kenya’s, encouraging farmers to start small with a few trees, which can be transformational when scaled. ASN’s efforts also include aggregating small farmers under one umbrella to support a coordinated growth strategy.
One key challenge cited is the misconception about the long gestation period of avocado trees, which has discouraged large-scale investment in Nigeria. The introduction of the Hass variety is expected to overcome this barrier, potentially generating over 12 billion Nigerian naira annually for the country’s economy. The ASN emphasizes the importance of meeting international quality standards, drawing lessons from Kenya’s experience, such as the market disruption in the Middle East in 2018 caused by low-quality exports.
The partnership between Nigeria and Kenya was reinforced at the 5th International Africa Avocado Congress held recently in Nairobi, which served as a crucial platform for knowledge sharing and networking. This collaboration is part of a broader trend of South-South cooperation and regional integration in Africa aimed at boosting intra-African trade and developing agricultural value chains.
Therefore, the Nigeria-Kenya avocado partnership is well-positioned to benefit from increasing global demand for nutrient-rich foods like avocados and the diversification of supply sources by major importers. The partnership aspires to place Nigeria among the top ten avocado-producing countries in Africa, leveraging Kenya’s proven expertise and Nigeria’s agricultural potential to transform the country’s avocado sector and generate significant economic benefits. This initiative also has the potential to stimulate related sectors such as transportation, packaging, logistics, and rural infrastructure development, contributing broadly to Nigeria’s agricultural economy and export capacity.