Growth Gateway: Trade and investment opportunities in North and West African horticulture (summary)
Published 10 December 2025
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This report consolidates market intelligence on North and West African horticulture and pinpoints 2 high potential areas for UK‑Africa collaboration: cold chain logistics and financing. It outlines a large, diverse and growing sector across 2 regional profiles:
- North Africa: with export oriented crops such as berries, tomatoes, dates and citrus
- West Africa: dominated by roots and tubers for domestic consumption
Production in North Africa is driven by supportive policies, regionalised supply chains and demographic trends. While both regions face climate pressures, compliance requirements, post harvest losses and constrained access to affordable finance.
A quantified opportunity emerges around cold chain. The total cold chain equipment and services market across North and West Africa is estimated at £6.5 billion today, with roughly £3.1 billion concentrated in Nigeria, Ghana and Morocco. Much of this remains unaddressed, particularly in Nigeria and Ghana, due to limited reliable and affordable power, small export bases and the lack of solutions suited to smallholders.
Consumption is expected to grow at around 17% per year over the next 5 years, as food demand rises, urban markets formalise and production shifts toward higher value, more perishable products. Imports currently account for about 30% of consumption, with China and Türkiye dominating on price in West Africa, and a more open, quality and service driven market in Morocco where European suppliers compete.
UK participation is low, largely due to information asymmetries and a mismatch between typical UK offerings and local needs. The analysis suggests UK firms prioritise refurbished equipment and components in West Africa to compete on price, expand after sales and first-mile services in Morocco, and consider aggregated logistics and last-mile transport where supportive institutions exist.
The second opportunity is indirect financing. The document estimates a sizeable financing space across the regions, with indirect routes via local financial institutions, private equity and venture funds, and agri‑fintechs better suited to the fragmented, sub‑scale deal landscape than direct investment in individual farm ventures.
While the UK has global strengths in indirect investment, deal flow and ticket sizes in Nigeria and Ghana lag peers. Interviews point to information gaps, cautious diligence and limited on the ground engagement as key friction points.
The report proposes high-impact actions, including structured B2B forums and roadshows, online deal rooms, stronger country coordination and investor working groups, and expanded risk mitigation and concessional offerings to catalyse private capital.
Overall, the knowledge product provides a pragmatic roadmap for UK businesses and investors to engage where demand is growing, compete credibly on value and service, and partner with local players to unlock development and commercial outcomes in Nigeria, Ghana and Morocco.