The festival, organised in collaboration with the National Coffee and Tea Association of Nigeria, NACOFTAN, will be held under the theme, “Coffee Sustainability and Empowerment: Focusing on Women and Youth Development,” with emphasis on skills development, community development and job creation.

The Chief Executive Officer of Lingzhi Global, Mrs. Blessing Nanman, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, saying the event would bring together coffee stakeholders, investors and international participants to explore opportunities in farming, processing, packaging, marketing and export.

“Farmers have gone to work. Some processors are already at the verge of breaking through. This is the time where we want to invite all investors, partners and international organisations to support us in the coffee industry,” Nanman said.

She said the maiden edition attracted participants from different countries, while the 2026 festival is expected to draw representatives from about 30 countries. According to her, the event would further define opportunities within the coffee value chain and encourage local consumption of coffee.

Nanman said Lingzhi Global was also expanding its coffee business through the establishment of coffee shops, noting that the outlets had become platforms where communities, families and people from different backgrounds could connect over coffee.

She said Cross River was selected to host the second edition because of its potential for coffee production and the state government’s efforts to expand cultivation through the distribution of millions of coffee seedlings.

Speaking on the forthcoming festival, Cross River State Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo, commended Lingzhi Global for its role in promoting coffee and tea development in the state and for working with stakeholders to strengthen the sector.

He said the company had contributed efforts to improve farmers’ access to seedlings, knowledge and markets, describing its partnership with the state as important to the development of the coffee value chain.

“We are pleased to be collaborating with Lingzhi Global, organisers of the International Coffee Festival, and NACOFTAN,” Ebokpo said.

The commissioner said the festival would give Cross River greater visibility as a coffee-producing destination while creating opportunities for women and young people to participate in the industry.

“This is also an opportunity for us to use the festival as a platform to create jobs for our people, particularly women and youths, while providing them with opportunities to learn more and develop their skills,” he said.

Ebokpo said the coffee industry extends beyond farming to processing, packaging and export, stressing that young people could create businesses and develop their own brands by participating in different stages of the value chain.

He said Cross River has about 23,000 square kilometres of arable land suitable for coffee development and has the agro-ecological advantage of producing both Arabica and Robusta varieties. He added that the state plans to distribute at least 30 million coffee seedlings over five years.

President of NACOFTAN, Dr. Hassan Usman, said the festival would provide an opportunity for Nigerian stakeholders to exchange knowledge and technology with international players in the coffee industry.

“The Coffee Festival is not only Nigerian in inclusion, but international. We have people coming from Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya and all the countries. The globe will be around with us,” Usman said.

Usman also commended Lingzhi Global for taking stakeholders across the country and beyond to gain knowledge in coffee processing and marketing, saying the company had played a critical role in connecting Nigerian stakeholders with international opportunities.

He said stakeholders would use the gathering to strategise on strengthening the coffee value chain and changing the narrative around coffee production in Nigeria, while calling for greater participation from government agencies, investors and other stakeholders.

The 2026 Coffee Festival International Nigeria is expected to bring together farmers, processors, roasters, investors, experts and other stakeholders from Nigeria and abroad for three days of knowledge-sharing, networking and promotion of the coffee industry.

The authority said it is aware of the impact of the price increase on households, transport workers and businesses across the country.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the NMDPRA said it remains committed to ensuring that consumers are protected within the framework of Nigeria’s deregulated petroleum market.

“We are fully sensitive to the pressure this places on households, transport workers, and businesses across the country, and we share in the commitment to seeing relief take root as market conditions stabilise,” the authority said.

The statement comes as petrol prices have risen above N1,400 per litre in several parts of the country.

Nigeria exposed to global oil shock

The latest increase followed an N85 adjustment in the gantry price of petrol by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, from N1,265 to N1,350 per litre, amid a surge in international crude oil prices.

A survey of filling stations in Abuja on Saturday morning showed significant variations in pump prices, with some outlets selling petrol for between N1,400 and N1,450 per litre.

This compares with prices of about N1,200 to N1,300 per litre recorded at several outlets in the previous month.

The latest increase came after a period of easing in petrol prices following expectations that the conflict in the Middle East would de-escalate and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would ease.

Although Nigeria is a major crude oil producer, the country remains exposed to developments in the international oil market.

Changes in global crude prices can affect the domestic petroleum market through the cost of crude feedstock, refined products, freight and other supply-chain expenses.

The increase in Dangote Refinery’s wholesale petrol price has consequently translated into higher prices at filling stations.

Brent crude, the international benchmark relevant to Nigeria’s oil market, closed at $104.87 per barrel on Friday, according to Reuters.

The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has become a major concern for global energy markets because the waterway is a critical route for crude oil and refined-product shipments.

For Nigeria, developments in the international oil market can feed into the cost of transportation, logistics, electricity generation and other economic activities dependent on petroleum products.

‘We don’t fix petrol prices’

The NMDPRA said its role in the downstream petroleum sector is governed by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

It said Section 205(1) of the Act provides that wholesale and retail prices of petroleum products shall be based on unrestricted free-market pricing conditions.

“The Authority does not fix pump prices or issue administrative price templates,” it said.

According to the authority, Sections 205(2)-(4) restrict government intervention in petroleum-product pricing to exceptional circumstances where there is formal evidence of a declared market failure.

“No such market failure has been declared,” the authority said.

It added that Section 216 of the PIA empowers it to prevent anti-competitive practices, price-fixing and abuse of market dominance.

The authority also said it was working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies to strengthen surveillance along border corridors.

The move, it said, is aimed at improving supply stability and curbing the illegal cross-border diversion of petroleum products.

The NMDPRA stressed that deregulation does not exempt petroleum operators from regulatory compliance or fair-trade standards.

It said it was working with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) under a formal memorandum of understanding to monitor the market.

The agencies are jointly monitoring for alleged price-gouging, collusion, under-dispensing and compromised product quality, the NMDPRA said.

The authority also said it was opening dedicated feedback and reporting channels through which members of the public and industry stakeholders can report irregular pricing and exploitative trade practices for investigation and enforcement.

The NMDPRA said it remained committed to its statutory mandate of ensuring energy security, promoting fair competition and protecting consumers within the legal framework of the PIA.