Currently, most of Africa’s total 1.1 million tons of natural rubber (NR) production is concentrated in the western region, according to recent reports. Côte d’Ivoire accounts for 82.4% of this output, followed by Liberia (9.1%), Nigeria (4.6%), and Cameroon (3.9%).
Africa’s Emerging Rubber Producers
According to research firm ReportLinker, Côte d’Ivoire is projected to become the world’s third-largest natural rubber producer by volume, with exports expected to reach USD 936 million by 2026.
Meanwhile, Nigeria, Liberia, and Cameroon continue to face domestic challenges that prevent them from taking the lead in rubber production in Africa. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) ranks Nigeria as the 12th-largest natural rubber producer globally and the second-largest in Africa, with an estimated output of 200,000 tons annually.
Untapped Potential in Nigeria’s Rubber Industry
According to Dr. Victor Iyama, President of the Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN), the country has yet to fully capitalize on its export potential for natural rubber.
The Nigerian government launched a rubber development initiative in 2006 aimed at:
-
Rehabilitating existing plantations;
-
Establishing new estates to expand cultivation areas;
-
Enhancing productivity using improved clonal varieties; and
-
Addressing technological and socio-economic barriers hindering growth.
However, only about 40% of Nigeria’s potential rubber capacity is currently being utilized, due to abandonment, deforestation, and shifting to more profitable annual food crops by smallholder farmers.
Large-Scale Expansion Plan by NARPPMAN
The National Rubber Producers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NARPPMAN) has urged the Federal Government to include rubber among Nigeria’s priority commercial crops for national development.
Peter Igbinosun, NARPPMAN President, emphasized that government involvement in rubber production is essential for economic growth. He revealed that NARPPMAN plans to establish 160,000 hectares of new rubber plantations across 24 states within the next 10 years, which could generate 640,000 direct jobs and an additional 160,000 indirect jobsthrough related services.
Currently, Nigeria has around 200,000 hectares of rubber plantations, managed by smallholders and industrial estates. Igbinosun noted that the rubber sector alone could create over 800,000 jobs, calling it a potential “economic goldmine” for Nigeria.