Nigeria is working towards full membership of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries, a step that could give Africa’s largest economy a stronger voice in global palm oil trade while opening new channels of technical support for farmers and processors.
Eze Nduka Thomas, Nigeria’s chargé d’affaires ad interim in Indonesia, said on Tuesday that the country was moving towards joining the intergovernmental body. He spoke to Nigerian journalists at the country’s embassy in Indonesia as he outlined efforts to deepen agricultural and commercial cooperation between the two countries.
“Nigeria sooner or later will be joining CPC council of producing companies. It’s a great achievement we have made in this mission,” Thomas said, according to remarks reported from the briefing.
The reference was to the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries, known as CPOPC. The organisation was established by Indonesia and Malaysia and brings producing nations together on market access, sustainability standards, trade barriers and international advocacy.
Nigeria is currently an observer. The council said this year that the Federal Government had begun consultations on a transition to full membership before the observer arrangement expires at the end of 2026.
A strategic decision for a deficit market
The membership push comes with an important contradiction. Nigeria is one of Africa’s leading producers and consumers of palm oil, but domestic output still falls well short of demand. Figures presented during earlier discussions with the council put annual crude palm oil production at about 1.4 million metric tonnes, against demand of roughly three million tonnes.
That gap matters far beyond the farms and mills. Palm oil is used in food manufacturing, soaps, cosmetics and a wide range of household and industrial products. When local supply cannot keep pace, processors face higher costs and the country spends scarce foreign exchange on imports.
Full membership would not, by itself, close that gap. Planting material, access to finance, ageing trees, milling efficiency, rural roads, land administration and environmental safeguards all remain domestic policy challenges. However, the council offers a forum through which Nigeria can seek better technical cooperation, share research and join collective negotiations on rules affecting the commodity.
Earlier this year, CPOPC Secretary-General Izzana Salleh told Nigerian officials that the council supports producing countries on sustainability, regulatory challenges and market access. She also pointed to training programmes for smallholders in member states and said similar support could be extended to Nigeria after accession.
The council’s current members include Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Honduras and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nigeria, Ghana and Colombia have participated as observers. The body has offered a two-year waiver of membership fees to observer countries that move to full membership in 2026.
Opportunity must reach smallholders
For Nigeria, the value of joining will ultimately be measured in farms and factories, rather than diplomatic communiqués. Smallholders supply a substantial part of the local market, yet many contend with low-yielding trees, limited extension services and weak access to modern processing equipment.
Better seed varieties and agronomic knowledge could lift yields without automatically requiring the expansion of plantations into forests. More efficient mills could also reduce losses and improve the quality of locally produced oil. Those gains would help processors secure more reliable supplies while creating jobs in producing communities.
Environmental credibility will be equally important. Palm oil has faced global scrutiny over deforestation and labour practices, and importing markets are tightening sustainability requirements. Nigeria will need traceability systems and enforceable standards if it wants to increase production while protecting forests and preserving access to premium markets.
Membership could help the country participate more directly in negotiations over such rules, but it should not become a shield against legitimate environmental concerns. The stronger case is for Nigeria to use international cooperation to make its industry both more competitive and more accountable.
Indonesia ties offer another route
Thomas also urged Nigerian investors to look more closely at opportunities in Indonesia. The Southeast Asian country is the world’s largest palm oil producer and has decades of experience across cultivation, processing, refining and export logistics.
A deeper commercial relationship could support technology transfer and responsible investment in Nigeria’s value chain. It could also widen cooperation beyond raw production into refining, consumer goods and research. Any new partnership, however, should include transparent terms, meaningful local participation and safeguards for host communities.
The next key test is whether the consultations produce a formal accession decision before Nigeria’s observer status ends. Government ministries will also need to explain the costs, obligations and implementation plan, including how farmers, processors and environmental groups will be represented.
For consumers and businesses, the desired outcome is straightforward: more reliable domestic supply, better quality and lower exposure to import-driven price shocks. For rural communities, the promise is jobs and higher productivity without sacrificing land rights or the environment.
Podium News will continue to track the membership process and the policies needed to turn international cooperation into measurable gains across Nigeria’s palm oil value chain.
