EandC Legal advises on Liberia’s $60m coffee deal with Nigeria’s JR Farms

EandC Legal, a leading African commercial law firm, has advised Nigeria’s JR Farms Group on a landmark US$60 million public-private partnership coffee concession agreement with the Government of Liberia aimed at revitalising the country’s coffee industry and expanding agricultural investment.

The deal, sealed on Monday in Monrovia, Liberia, is projected to attract more than $60 million in long-term investment into Liberia’s coffee sector while boosting export expansion, rural economic development and large-scale job creation.

The 20-year concession agreement was executed through Liberia’s Ministry of Agriculture and formally signed by the country’s Minister of Agriculture, J. Alexander Nuetah, and the Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of JR Farms Group, Rotimi Olawale.

EandC Legal acted as lead transaction counsel on the cross-border investment deal, advising on the legal, regulatory and commercial structures underpinning the partnership.

The firm also handled negotiations relating to investment protection, regulatory compliance, risk allocation mechanisms and the long-term operational framework for the project.

Speaking on the transaction, Omoruyi “Uyilaw” Edoigiawerie, founder and Lead Partner of EandC Legal, described the agreement as a major example of how strategic legal advisory services can drive economic transformation across Africa.

“This transaction exemplifies the transformative power of strategic public-private collaboration in unlocking Africa’s economic potential,” Edoigiawerie said.

“We are proud to have advised JR Farms Group on a landmark investment expected to strengthen agricultural productivity, create significant employment opportunities and drive sustainable economic growth across Liberia,” he further said.

He added that the transaction further underscored EandC Legal’s capacity to structure and advise on sophisticated cross-border transactions involving governments, institutional investors and private-sector operators across Africa.

Liberia’s Minister of Agriculture, Nuetah, described the partnership as a major opportunity to revive the country’s coffee sector and improve livelihoods in rural communities.

“This partnership represents a major opportunity to revive Liberia’s coffee sector, empower farmers, create jobs and unlock new economic opportunities for rural communities across the country,” he said.

Olawale Rotimi Oyeyemi, founder and chief executive officer of JR Farms Group, said the agreement aligned with the company’s broader vision of repositioning Africa as a global coffee powerhouse.

According to him, Liberia’s rich coffee heritage and global recognition as the origin of the Liberica coffee variety make the country strategically positioned for long-term growth in coffee production and exports.

The initiative is expected to support the development of over 250,000 hectares of coffee plantations and the planting of approximately 200 million coffee trees over the next two decades.

The project is also projected to benefit more than 200,000 farmers and generate an estimated 300,000 direct and indirect jobs across Liberia’s coffee value chain.

Under the concession arrangement, JR Farms Group will oversee operations across major coffee-producing regions in Liberia, including Nimba, Lofa and Bong Counties.