By Sunday Oyinloye
The Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture, Belgium-Luxembourg, Africa-Caribbean Pacific (CBL-ACP ) yesterday in Abuja signed a Memorandum of Understanding ((MoU )with the EU-Nigeria Agribusiness Platform(EUNAP) in preparation for the 3rd edition of the Nigeria-Belgium Luxembourg Business Forum (NBLBF) which holds in Brussels, Belgium from October 22nd to 24th, 2025
With its theme “Solidifying viable partnerships for economic growth and sustainability” the NBLBF2025 will focus on key sectors that drive transformation and sustainable development. It is expected to foster stronger economic ties between Nigeria, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Speaking at the cocktail reception, the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt said the MoU was significant because it is between an organization that is very focused on Agricultural Sector and Agribusiness and CBL-ACP Chamber of Commerce.
According to him, with the signing of the MoU, Belgium will focus more on the Agricultural and food sector in Nigeria than it has been doing adding that a testament to this is the upcoming trade mission from the Flanders Region and Belgium in November to Abuja and Lagos that will focus on the food sector and Agriculture.
His words: “shortly before that is the 2025 Nigeria-Belgium Luxembourg Business Forum which holds in Brussels and has a tradition of creating a space for specific issues relating to agricultural development in Nigeria.
“The event of today is a timely match to even increase further the attention that already exists for the Agricultural sector in Nigeria”.
In his remarks, the Project Director, EU-Nigeria Agribusiness Platform, Roland Oroh, said his platform was set up by the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS to expand trade and investment between Nigeria and the European Union in 27 countries including Belgium.
Oroh who signed the MoU on behalf of his platform notes that the signing of the document is significant because it will promote more business opportunities between Nigeria, Belgium and Luxembourg using the forthcoming business forum as a platform
“We have identified key products to engage in order to increase trade between Nigeria and Belgium. From 2024, Belgium’s demand for Nigerian products has shifted from crude oil to cocoa, and so we think that this is a good opportunity for Nigeria. Belgium imports 4.2 Billion Euros of cocoa products per annum, but out of that, only 145 million Euros is from Nigeria” he said.
The Project Director disclosed that haven identified that gap, EU- Nigeria Agribusiness Platform wants to ensure that more cocoa products are exported to Belgium from Nigeria using Belgian technical knowhow , their off take and support to expand the cocoa sector in Nigeria .
He explains that exporting more cocoa products to Belgium will make Nigeria to earn more foreign exchange and create more job opportunities for Nigerians, particularly in the area of cocoa processing.
On his part, the Commercial Director of CBL-ACP Chamber of Commerce Thomas De Beule said the signing of the MoU, will boost Agribusiness in Nigeria
Giving an insight into the MoU, Thomas said: “CBL-ACP will support EUNAP in organizing and promoting monthly webinars by assisting in mobilizing participants from the EU, identifying and suggesting potential speakers or resource persons, and leveraging its network to enhance visibility”
He disclosed further that the parties will work together to create linkages between Nigerian agribusinesses and EU companies to enhance market access and export opportunities stressing that one of these being CBL-ACP annual Nigeria Belgium Luxembourg Business Forum which takes place in Brussels, Belgium.
His words”: CBL-ACP will assist EUNAP in connecting Nigerian agribusinesses with potential traders and investors from Belgium, Luxembourg, and other EU markets.
“The parties will collaborate on training sessions, workshops, and business development programs to enhance the competitiveness of Nigerian agribusinesses in the EU market.
“EUNAP is to promote events within its network of Nigerian agribusinesses and stakeholders and also facilitate connections between Nigerian agribusinesses and EU stakeholders”.
Thomas said that CBL-ACP has been supporting trade and investment relationships between Belgium and Luxembourg, and the ACP countries for 60 years adding that it a good platform for Nigerian businesses to network
Responding to a question on why the MoU was signed with another entity different from those of the first and second edition of the business summit, a Consultant for Nigeria Belgium Luxembourg Business Forum, Collins Nweke said it is a strong indication that the Nigeria-Belgium Luxembourg Business Forum is gaining higher acceptance in Nigeria with more people coming on board.
He however disclosed that it doesn’t mean that NBLBF has jettisoned those who worked with it in the first and second edition of the business summit.
In his words” It is just natural that business expands, what you have seen is expansion and so we shall also continue to work with those who have been with us from the very beginning. In specific term, you would have heard that in 2024, non-oil export grew by plus 20 percent in Nigeria.
“What that means is that initiatives such as ours are actually bearing fruits. Though we have not abandoned oil because it remains a very important commodity for Nigeria, but we are keying into government’s policy of promotion of the non-oil sector and we have seen it growing and that is one of the significance of keying into EU’s policy around Agriculture, working with a Nigerian indigenous organization in that specific area to actually promote non-oil export”
On what is being done to ensure that Nigerian products are acceptable in the European market Nweke has this to say:
“As we speak, we tutelage two status specifically in the area of food export to the European Union. It is instructive to highlight the fact that the status are doing things the right way, one of which is that they have taken three months intensive training specifically on export market. And so they are now certified. We promote such of initiatives.
“Therefore, our message to everyone is that they should ask for information and that is on both sides because there are some Belgians who came to Nigeria to invest but got their fingers burned because they didn’t get the right information. That is a gap we are filling at Nigeria-Belgium Luxembourg Business Forum”
