Nigerian Firm Seals N81.6bn Coffee Production Deal with Liberia

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Nigerian agro‑development company JR Firm Group has entered into a 20‑year partnership with the Liberian government, worth $60 million (approximately N81.6 billion).

The agreement is intended to rejuvenate Liberia’s coffee sector, increase exports and benefit more than 200,000 farmers by developing over 250,000 hectares of coffee plantations over the next two decades.

The deal was signed in Monrovia by Liberia’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Alexander Nuetah, and JR Farms Group founder and CEO Olawale Rotimi Oyeyemi. It will support the planting of at least 200 million coffee trees and is expected to create more than 300,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout Liberia’s coffee value chain.

Liberia, known for its distinctive Liberica coffee, has favourable agro‑ecological conditions and fertile soils suitable for Liberica, Arabica and Robusta varieties.

Under Dr. Nuetah’s leadership, coffee has been identified as a priority crop to drive agricultural transformation, economic growth and export diversification.

The partnership aligns with Liberia’s National Agriculture Development Plan, which aims to develop 15,000 hectares of new coffee farms in the next five years as part of efforts to revitalize the coffee sector and broaden agricultural exports.

During the signing ceremony, Dr. Nuetah said the partnership marked a major milestone in Liberia’s efforts to reposition itself as a competitive coffee‑producing nation.

“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 described the deal as a historic step toward revitalising and positioning Africa as a global coffee powerhouse, one country at a time.

“Historically, Liberia is known as a coffee producer with its unique variety called Liberica. With this partnership, the country’s coffee sector will be revitalized and repositioned for growth, value‑chain development, job creation and revenue generation for the nation,” Olawale said.