The Director of Agribusiness at the Presidency, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, has represented Ghana at the 2025 Agunkefest Coconut Festival held in Badagry, Nigeria, following an invitation from the Lagos State Government and AFRICOCO.

Speaking at the festival, Dr. Otokunor delivered a keynote address on the theme “Uncovering Coconut’s Power: Inspiring Global Action, The African Collaboration,” where he underscored the importance of stronger partnerships, value addition, and deeper African collaboration in positioning coconut as a strategic commodity for economic growth and sustainable development across the continent.

He noted that Africa’s coconut sector holds significant untapped potential and called for coordinated efforts among African countries to promote innovation, enhance processing capacity, and expand markets to maximise the crop’s contribution to job creation, agribusiness development, and export earnings.

In recognition of his contributions to advancing coconut value chain development through innovation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across Africa, Dr. Otokunor was honoured with the Nigeria Coconut Ambassador Award at Agunkefest 2025.

He also received an award on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama, acknowledging the President’s exemplary leadership and commitment to the development of the coconut industry in Africa.

The Agunkefest Coconut Festival brings together policymakers, agribusiness leaders, researchers, and farmers to promote the coconut industry and foster cross-border collaboration within Africa’s agribusiness sector.