Robust International plans new cashew plant in Nigeria

NIGERIA – Robust International plans to build a new cashew processing plant in Ogun State, Nigeria, as it seeks to expand its footprint in one of West Africa’s top cashew producing countries.

In a statement published on February 5, the Singapore-based agricultural commodities trader said the new facility will more than double its total processing capacity in Nigeria. Once the plant starts operations, the company will raise its capacity to 220 tonnes per day, up from the current 100 tonnes per day.

The company secured a debt facility of US$75 million from GuarantCo, a development finance institution that provides credit guarantees, to fund the project. Robust International did not disclose the construction timeline or the expected commissioning date.

Nigeria ranks among the leading cashew suppliers in West Africa, behind Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau. However, exporters still ship most of the country’s cashew nuts in raw form, with limited local processing.

Robust International said the new plant will strengthen local value addition and support farmers. In its statement, the company said the facility will source cashew nuts from about 10,000 smallholder farmers, most of whom earn low incomes.

“The new unit will bring strong benefits to the local economy, mainly through sourcing cashew nuts from around 10,000 small producers,” the company stated. “It will also include systems that convert production waste into biomass and biofuels, which will improve the environmental impact of the project.”

The company expects the project to create a stable outlet for farmers and support jobs along the value chain.

The expansion comes at a time when Nigeria’s processing segment faces pressure. According to preliminary estimates from independent trade advisory service N’kalô, cashew processing in Nigeria fell by 17 percent to 50,000 tonnes in 2025.

In contrast, cashew supply in the country rose by 16 percent to reach 405,000 tonnes during the same period. The gap between rising supply and lower processing levels shows the continued reliance on raw exports.

Industry observers say new investments in processing could help close this gap and allow Nigeria to capture more value from its cashew crop. Robust International’s planned facility signals renewed investor interest in building local capacity within the sector.

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