Cocoa House

Cocoa House is a 26-storey skyscraper in Ibadan’s Dugbe district. Completed in 1964 and commissioned in 1965, it was the first skyscraper in West Africa and remained Nigeria’s tallest building until 1979. Obafemi Awolowo proposed the project, which was financed with proceeds from cocoa exports.

Don't miss

• Its original Yoruba name, Ile Awon Agbe, meaning “House of Farmers”.
• The link between the building’s construction and revenue from cocoa exports.
• Its status as West Africa’s first skyscraper when commissioned in 1965.
• The Odua Museum and Hall of Fame, commissioned by Wole Soyinka in 2013.
• The cocoa tree planted beside a fountain in front of the building as a reference to its agricultural funding.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Cocoa House

Cheapest way inChocolate Manufactory Tasting Journey at York Cocoa Works4.1★ · 114 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$17 per personSee dates →Most bookedCocoa Beach Sunset Tour4.9★ · 333 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$39 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleCocoa and Tropical Fruits Farm with Fine Chocolate Experience5★ · 17 travelers~6 hoursFree cancellationFrom$144 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The tower rises 26 storeys in Ibadan’s Dugbe commercial district.
• A fire caused by faulty electrical equipment gutted its upper floors in 1985; renovation was completed in 1992.
• A cocoa tree was planted beside the fountain in front of the building to recall the cocoa-export revenue that financed construction.

A bit of history

The building was proposed by Obafemi Awolowo using funds from cocoa exports. It was commissioned in July 1965 by the government of the Western Region. On January 9, 1985, a fire caused by faulty electrical equipment gutted the top floors, closing the building until renovations finished in August 1992. It is owned by Odu'a Investment Company Limited and managed by Wemabod Estates Limited.