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# ECA Backs Brussels Forum Linking West African Cocoa Suppliers With EU Buyers
- URL: https://cocoaradar.com/eca-backs-brussels-forum-linking-west-african-cocoa-suppliers-with-eu-buyers/
- Published: 2026-10-20T14:04:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-20T14:03:59.000Z
- Description: The 29 October meeting in the Belgian capital will put exporters, processors and investors in the same room as the cocoa trade prepares for new EU deforestation rules
- Author: Anthony Myers
- Tags: eudr, EUNAP, ECA

[ ![EU-Nigeria Agribusiness Platform](https://eungagribusiness.com/eunap-logo.png) 29 October 2026 · Brussels, Belgium Nigeria/West Africa Cocoa Origins – EU Industry Match-Making Forum Connect with leading cocoa stakeholders from West Africa and Europe at this high-level B2B forum in Brussels. Explore new business opportunities, build strategic partnerships and unlock access to European markets. Register for the forum ](https://eungagribusiness.com/events/brusselsb2b-2026/registration?ref=cocoaradar.com) 

The European Cocoa Association (ECA) is supporting a Brussels forum that aims to connect West African cocoa suppliers directly with European buyers and investors ahead of the EU’s deforestation regulation taking effect for large and medium-sized operators.

The EU–Nigeria Agribusiness Platform (EUNAP) will convene the meeting on 29 October at the Sofitel Brussels Hotel, alongside the Nigeria–Belgium–Luxembourg Business Forum.[ ECA has confirmed its support](https://www.eurococoa.com/type-of-event/other-cocoa-related-events/?ref=cocoaradar.com), giving the event a link to the traders, processors and industrial chocolate makers it represents.

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EUNAP plans structured meetings between European companies and cocoa exporters, traders and cooperatives from Nigeria, with outreach to Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Separate sessions are intended to bring governments, EU institutions and financiers into discussions about traceability, farm renewal and processing investment. 

The ICCO estimates Nigeria produced 330,000 tonnes of cocoa beans in the 2024-25 season, with EU countries importing almost 206,000 tonnes of Nigerian beans in 2025,

[ICE CoT Moves To Centre Of Cocoa Trade’s EUDR ResponseSustainability expert Nicko Debenham told this month’s London Chocolate Forum that the 2026–27 cocoa crop is already exposed to the EU deforestation law’s traceability and contract risks, strengthening the case for a common compliance standard![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/e5/42e56cb4-2135-4886-b7a8-860153b64965/content/images/icon/sophie-LOGO-FINAL_WEB-5ad57023-0fad-4994-bd0e-d3bf22cfd1ba.png)From The Desk of CocoaRadar™Anthony Myers![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/e5/42e56cb4-2135-4886-b7a8-860153b64965/content/images/thumbnail/ICE-cocoa-screenshot-56ec1f53-5a78-4736-86f0-d3c465307f0a.png)](https://cocoaradar.com/ice-cot-moves-to-centre-of-cocoa-trades-eudr-response/)

### In Time for EUDR

The timing matters. The[ EU says](https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-updates-product-scope-and-tools-support-eudr-2026-07-13%5Fen?prefLang=&trk=public%5Fpost%5Fcomment-text&ref=cocoaradar.com) its deforestation regulation will apply to large and medium-sized operators from 30 December 2026\. Cocoa is among the commodities covered. European buyers therefore need sourcing records that support their due diligence, while suppliers need to show where their beans were grown and how they moved through the supply chain.

ECA’s involvement gives the forum commercial weight. According to[ the association’s current figures](https://www.eurococoa.com/?ref=cocoaradar.com), its 63 member companies account for about 90% of European cocoa-bean grinding and 85% of European industrial chocolate production. The question for the meeting is whether access to those companies can lead to workable sourcing and investment partnerships.

### Nigeria's Investment Agenda

Nigeria’s proposed investment agenda includes digital traceability, new cocoa-processing capacity, an origin brand and rehabilitation of ageing smallholder farms. The concept notes put the traceability proposal at €20 million to map 400,000 farm parcels across Ondo, Cross River, Edo and Osun states. Those figures describe a project seeking partners, not money already secured.

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Organisers also want to link West African producing areas with European cocoa-processing regions through longer-term regional partnerships. That could give discussions about replanting and supply security a route beyond individual buyer meetings. No European regional counterparts or agreements have yet been named.

For ECA, the stated role is to support the forum and help connect it with industry. Delivery will depend on what buyers, governments and financiers commit after the Brussels meeting.

- **For more details on the Forum follow this** [**link**](https://eungagribusiness.com/events/brusselsb2b-2026?ref=cocoaradar.com)**.**