Sopuruchi Onwuka

Nigeria became the largest market in Africa for U.S. wines in 2024 with exports valued at $7.8 million or N13.3 billion in 2024, just as the California Wine Institute organized a specialized seminar to highlight opportunities for mutually beneficial trade.

Acting U.S. Consul General JoEllen Gorg stated at a wine testing event in Lagos that wine imported from the US to Nigeria increased by a 65% from 2023 volumes and underscored the pivotal role of the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Mission in expanding U.S.-Nigeria agricultural trade.

Acting U.S. Consul General JoEllen Gorg

The Consul General who spoke at a trade confab to sample Californian wines to Nigerian wine importers, distributors, retailers, hospitality industry stakeholders, and wine lovers declared that Nigeria is currently the largest market in Africa for U.S. wines.

The Oracle Today reports that the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria and the California Wine Institute hosted a trade promotion event in Lagos that connected 18 California wineries with the Nigerian business community.

More than 160 award-winning California wines, from crisp whites to bold reds, were showcased during a wine tasting event attended by over 120 Nigerian wine importers, distributors, retailers, hospitality industry stakeholders, and wine lovers who discussed the growing market potential for U.S. wines in Nigeria.

The event was conceived to strengthen agricultural trade ties between the two countries.

In addition to the wine tasting experience, the California Wine Institute organized a specialized seminar for local wine importers and leading Nigeria restaurateurs, highlighting opportunities for mutually beneficial trade.

JoEllen Gorg said “The United States is proud to offer the highest quality products to consumers around the world. California wines represent some of the best in the world.”

“Home to over 5,000 wineries, most of them family-owned, multi-generational businesses, California makes over 80 per cent of U.S. wine and ranks the 4th among world’s wine producers,” the Consul General declared in a statement after the event.

Vice President for International Marketing at the California Wine Institute, Honore Comfort, explained that the trade promotion event was an opportunity to showcase the diversity and quality of California wines that have earned an excellent reputation globally.

“We are excited to kick off our 2025 Africa Tasting Tour in Lagos to increase knowledge of and interest in California wines across the continent,” Comfort added.

According to the statement, “the California Wine Institute is the trade organization of California wineries. The 2025 Africa Tasting Tour is a trade mission organized with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. In addition to Lagos, the Africa tour includes stops in Nairobi, Kenya, and Cape Town, South Africa.

“The Foreign Agricultural Service is the overseas arm of the United States Department of Agriculture offering a variety of services to American and Nigerian agribusiness companies and government and non-government entities involved in agricultural trade and development.

“Staffed with dedicated agri-business specialists, the Foreign Agricultural Service helps Nigerian agri-businesses to scale their business profitability by connecting them to U.S. exporters of new and competitive agricultural and food solutions that can help them evolve in a rapidly changing business environment.”

Photo Captions:

Photo 001: Acting U.S. Consul General JoEllen Gorg at the wine tasting event organized by the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Mission in collaboration with the California Wine Institute in Lagos.

Photo 002: Acting U.S. Consul General JoEllen Gorg (right) with Vice President for International Marketing at the California Wine Institute, Honore Comfort, at the wine tasting event organized by the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Mission in collaboration with the California Wine Institute in Lagos.

Photo 003: Acting U.S. Consul General JoEllen Gorg sampling one of the California wines on display at the wine tasting event organized by the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Mission in collaboration with the California Wine Institute in Lagos.