Oil
Nigeria moves toward full palm oil council membership
Nigeria is advancing efforts to secure full membership in the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries to enhance trade and agricultural cooperation with Indonesia.
Key points
- Nigeria aims to transition from observer status to full membership in the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries.
- The country produces approximately 1.4 million metric tonnes of crude palm oil annually against a domestic demand of three million tonnes.
- Bilateral trade between Nigeria and Indonesia exceeded $4.78bn as of September 2025.
What happened
Nigeria is progressing with consultations to attain full membership in the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries, according to the country's Charge d'Affaires ad interim to Indonesia, Eze Nduka Thomas. Punch reported that the move aims to strengthen agricultural ties and trade coordination with major producers such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Nigeria currently holds observer status, which is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026.
Why it matters
The intergovernmental body assists members in coordinating positions on sustainability regulations, international trade barriers, and market access. Official figures indicate that Nigeria generates about 1.4 million metric tonnes of crude palm oil annually, falling short of a domestic demand estimated at three million tonnes. The council has offered a two-year waiver on membership fees to facilitate Nigeria's full accession. Bilateral trade between Nigeria and Indonesia reached over $4.78bn by September 2025, with officials pushing for expanded economic engagement.
Infrastructure and energy context
During discussions at Trade Expo Indonesia, the envoy pointed to Indonesia's infrastructure development and energy models, including public-private partnerships and power generation approaches. World Bank figures for 2024 record Indonesia's electricity access rate at 99.9 per cent, compared to Nigeria's 62.5 per cent over the same period, highlighting potential areas for infrastructure policy exchange between the two nations.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Crude benchmarks move budgets, currencies and inflation in producer and importer countries alike. For economies such as Nigeria, where fuels dominate exports, production and refining decisions move the whole economy.
16.0% of Indonesia’s merchandise exports were fuels in 2025Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
