Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, will press global chocolate buyers to invest directly in African farms. The country aims to secure new funding at the World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting in Accra. This meeting will happen in March next year, marking its first time in Ghana.
This push comes as producing countries face increasing costs and struggle to maintain cocoa output. Randy Abbey, CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board, stated the meeting will advocate a “paradigm shift” in financing cocoa. He wants global buyers and downstream players to bear more of the financial burden for cocoa production.
This shift fits into Ghana's broader economic strategy to gain more value from its resources. Cocoa is a key national asset, supporting rural livelihoods and bringing in foreign currency. However, farmers currently bear a disproportionate share of economic strain in the sector. This has prompted the “Cocoa Reset” policy push, focusing on productivity and local processing capacity. The policy also aims to improve governance and meet strict sustainability rules from major markets.
Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem described Ghana's hosting rights for the meeting as both symbolic and strategic. He stressed that producing countries need a stronger role in shaping the global cocoa economy. He warned that despite the global chocolate industry generating over $100 billion annually, many West African cocoa farmers earn below living-income benchmarks. This gap threatens the long-term stability of cocoa supply.
Officials call this imbalance a structural flaw in the value chain. It strengthens calls for a more equitable distribution of returns between producing countries and multinational buyers. The sector also faces multiple challenges, including climate change, crop diseases like cocoa swollen shoot, and fluctuating prices. These factors have tightened supply conditions in recent years.
Mr. Abbey said the Accra meeting will focus on shared responsibility in financing discussions. Cocoa-producing countries argue that long-term resilience requires greater investment from global supply chain actors. The three-day conference, from March 16–18, will gather traders, manufacturers, and farmer groups. Its theme is “From Origin to Global Resilience,” addressing concerns over supply security and sustainability. This meeting is crucial for shaping the future of Ghana's cocoa sector and ensuring fair returns for its farmers.