Nigeria’s WCOPS Leadership Role Raises Hopes For Oil Palm Smallholders

Nigeria’s emergence as a leader in the global oil palm smallholder movement has raised expectations that its farmers could gain better access to international markets, affordable finance, improved technology and sustainable production practices.

The election of the President of the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), Amb. (Dr) Alphonsus Inyang, as Chairman of the General Assembly of the World Coalition of Oil Palm Smallholders (WCOPS) is seen as an opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s representation in global industry discussions.

However, stakeholders say the significance of the appointment will depend on translating the international platform into practical measures that improve farmers’ productivity, competitiveness and incomes.

Inyang was unanimously elected at WCOPS’s General Meeting in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, during the International Oil Palm Smallholders Forum. The General Assembly is the coalition’s highest decision-making organ.

Formed by the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), WCOPS is supported by the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia, SOLIDARIDAD, the RoundTable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and global oil palm producers.

The coalition promotes the interests of oil palm smallholders worldwide, with participants at the meeting resolving to defend the rights of more than 50 million farmers. Inyang, formerly Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, was elected alongside Indonesia’s Dr Gulat Manurung as President of the coalition.

Henry Olatujoye, Chief Executive Officer at Palmfield Development & Processing Limited, said the appointment gives Nigeria a platform to represent its smallholders globally and improve their prospects of accessing markets, finance, technology and better planting materials.

He also identified opportunities to promote sustainable and climate-smart production, strengthen cooperation among producing countries and increase Nigeria’s influence in shaping global oil palm policies and standards.

According to him, the position is significant because Nigeria can use it to place the challenges and opportunities facing its millions of smallholder farmers more firmly on the international agenda.

Austine Gbenga Adeniba, the Chief Operating Office of Eliakim Integrated Services Limited, another stakeholder, said Nigerian farmers could benefit from global demand only if they could produce efficiently, secure affordable finance, process their fruits properly, reach reliable buyers and meet quality and sustainability requirements.

He noted that Inyang’s election could strengthen international cooperation, but stressed that tangible results would require coordinated action within Nigeria.

Adeniba identified improved productivity as a major priority, calling for the rehabilitation of ageing plantations, wider access to certified, high-yielding planting materials and stronger research and extension services through the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR).

He also advocated farmer training in soil management, harvesting and pest control, alongside transition support for farmers whose incomes might temporarily decline during plantation replanting.

On financing, Adeniba proposed establishing a Smallholder Oil Palm Finance and Investment Facility involving relevant government agencies, the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), the Bank of Agriculture, commercial banks, insurers and development partners.

The proposed facility, he said, should provide long-term plantation loans, seasonal working capital, equipment leasing, cooperative lending and risk-sharing arrangements suited to the needs of smallholders.

He also called for modern processing facilities and supporting infrastructure to reduce production costs, improve product quality and minimise post-harvest losses.

According to him, investments should cover commercially viable shared mills, palm-kernel processing, quality testing, storage, equipment maintenance and appropriate energy solutions, alongside feeder roads, collection centres and transport links.

Market access is another priority. Adeniba urged stakeholders to strengthen farmer cooperatives, improve price and market information, and connect producers with processors and industrial buyers.

He said qualified producers should receive assistance to meet product specifications, documentation and export requirements, while value addition should be encouraged where market demand supports it.

On sustainability, Adeniba said compliance requirements should be made practical and affordable rather than becoming a barrier to market access.

He advocated support for farm registration, traceability, responsible land management, forest protection and relevant environmental and labour safeguards. Group-based certification and technical assistance, he added, could reduce compliance costs for smallholders.

Adeniba said responsibility for delivering these improvements should be shared among government, financial institutions, development partners, private investors and farmer organisations.

While the Federal Government should provide policy direction, coordinate implementation and strengthen quality and traceability systems, state governments should support extension services, rural infrastructure and priority production clusters.

Financial institutions and development partners, he said, should tailor financing to the oil palm production cycle, while processors and private investors should provide efficient processing, transparent purchasing, reliable supply contracts and technical support for outgrowers.

He also urged farmer organisations to aggregate produce, improve farm records, negotiate collectively and manage shared services.

For WCOPS, Adeniba called for international technical partnerships, financing discussions, buyer connections and knowledge exchange, alongside advocacy for smallholder inclusion in global standards.

He proposed a phased first-year action plan beginning with a national task force to map farmers, plantations, cooperatives and processing facilities and identify viable pilot clusters. Subsequent steps would include financing and technical partnerships, replanting and shared-processing projects, farmer training, market-linkage initiatives and traceability support.

He said progress should be measured through yield per hectare, hectares rehabilitated or replanted, financing disbursed, processing efficiency, volumes sold through organised channels, improvements in quality and traceability, private investment and changes in smallholders’ net incomes.

Nigeria’s challenge, therefore, is to ensure that its new leadership role delivers more than international recognition. The lasting significance of Inyang’s election will depend on whether government, industry stakeholders and farmer organisations can turn global partnerships into improved productivity, accessible finance, efficient processing, stronger market access and sustainable production that measurably improves smallholders’ livelihoods.

Seyi Taiwo-Oguntuase is a visionary writer. She Writes on business and agricultural related issues among several other issues of national interest. She likes travelling and impacting on people who comes across her.

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