The Executive Director, Soy Excellence Center & Sub-Saharan Africa for USSEC, Brent Babb
The Executive Director, Soy Excellence Center & Sub-Saharan Africa for USSEC, Brent Babb, has disclosed that Nigeria imported 62,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans in early 2025 after a six-year break.
He stated this during the USSEC & U.S. Soy Nigeria: Now Conference 2026 held recently in Lagos. “Over 60 per cent of the U.S. soybean crop is exported worldwide. We’ve worked extensively in Asia and North Africa, and we see strong opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria as the regional leader,” he noted.
According to Babb, population growth is driving demand, yet per capita protein consumption remains low. “That gap creates a significant opportunity,” he explained. “Nigeria grows soybeans, but as demand for consumption rises, more soybeans will need to be imported. Our role is to complement Nigeria.”
He revealed that USSEC would complement Nigeria by working directly with poultry, aquaculture, livestock, and soy food processors to build demand for and increase the use of soy. “We’re here for the long term,” Babb said. “This isn’t a competition with local soy production. Local production and imports can grow together.”
