Nigeria ratifies International Coffee Agreement, 2007

The Federal government on Thursday said it has ratified the International Coffee Agreements, 2007 which Nigeria entered into.

A statement by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, noted that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, confirmed and ratified the International Coffee Agreement, 2007, following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval of Nigeria’s membership of the International Coffee Organization (ICO).

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting had earlier drawn a conclusion on the agreement on October 21, 2020, with emphasis on Conclusion 10 which approved the preparation of the Instrument of Ratification of Nigeria’s membership of the International Coffee Organization and International Coffee Agreement of 2007.

Nigeria had been a major Coffee producer since the late 19th century, as a major cash crop for farmers in the country for decades.

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Coffee exports dropped from the 21st century, following the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities

Nigerian farmers produced over 89,000 60kg bags of coffee in 2006, a situation that has seen a steady decline by as much as 50percent in the last 15 years.

But the Nigerian government sees the ratification of the 2007 Agreement, as capable of strengthening the ICO’s role as a forum for intergovernmental consultations, facilitate international trade through increased transparency and access to relevant information, and promote a sustainable coffee economy for the benefit of all stakeholders and particularly of small-scale farmers in coffee-producing countries.

The agreement is an important instrument for development cooperation and will provide the legal framework for core activities undertaken by the Organization in the future.

The Instrument of Ratification was prepared by Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.