Nigeria has been formally accepted as a member of the International Coffee Organization (ICO).

This was sequel to President Muhammadu Buhari’s confirmation and ratification of the International Coffee Agreement, 2007, last Tuesday, following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval of Nigeria’s membership of the ICO.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the spokesman to the president, Garba Shehu, the FEC meeting had drawn a conclusion on the agreement on October 21, 2020, with emphasis on Conclusion 10 which approved the preparation of the Instrument of Ratification of Nigeria’s membership of the ICO and International Coffee Agreement of 2007.

It said the 2007 agreement would strengthen the ICO’s role as a forum for intergovernmental consultations, facilitate international trade through increased transparency and access to relevant information, as well as promote a sustainable coffee economy for the benefit of all stakeholders and particularly of small- scale farmers in coffee producing countries.

The agreement is an important instrument for development cooperation, and will provide the legal framework for core activities undertaken by the organisation in the future.

The Instrument of Ratification was prepared by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.