Processed cocoa yields 30 times raw export value

From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure

Processing cocoa into finished products for export has been described as more profitable to Nigeria’s economy than exporting raw cocoa beans.

Mr. John Alamu, founder and Group Managing Director of CapitalSage Holding, stated this while speaking with newsmen in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Monday.

He disclosed that an exporter of raw cocoa would make $8000 per tonne, but if processed to finished products like chocolate, the exporter would make 30 times that of exporting it raw.

Alamu, who is driving value across several sectors, has as the company’s subsidiaries, Johnvents Group, which is currently a rising global integrated value chain participant.

He disclosed that with 10 factories, including Johnvents Industries and Premium Cocoa Products (Ile-Oluji), one of Nigeria’s oldest cocoa plants, the Group possesses the capacity to process up to 48,000 MT of cocoa annually for export to Europe, Asia, and the US.

He explained that its cocoa unit anchors global exports of butter, liquor, cake, and powder, while the sesame and legumes unit sources and supplies premium-grade sesame, soya, and grains from multiple origins across Africa and beyond.

According to him, cashew and edible nuts add further diversity to the company, expanding Africa’s presence in the global nut value chain.

Alamu disclosed that the rice and rubber units contribute to food and industrial crop security.

He explained that, “We started with N100,000; today, we’re building global businesses from Africa. Today, CapitalSage Holdings employs over 2,000 people directly, supports more than 10,000 farmers, operating across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.”

Also, he hinted that Kolomoni, which is the company’s fintech arm, claims thousands of point-of-sale agents, merchants, and network managers, advancing financial inclusion in the country.

However, despite the successes recorded, Alamu said the mission is more than corporate success, but rather economic independence.

He said, “The next struggle, like independence, is economic freedom. That requires courage, disruption, and African confidence.”