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Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire are intensifying calls for increased local processing of cocoa, insisting that African producing countries must secure a larger share of the profits generated by the global chocolate industry.
The appeal was made during the 7th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI), with its conclusions presented at the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana High-Level Summit on the Future of the Cocoa Economy by Ghana’s Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson.
The committee highlighted a major imbalance in the global cocoa value chain, noting that while Africa produces about 80% of the world’s cocoa, it earns only a small fraction of the profits generated from the sector.
It described the situation as unsustainable and stressed the urgent need to accelerate industrialisation in cocoa-producing countries through expanded local processing capacity.
Key priorities outlined include boosting domestic cocoa processing, strengthening regional and continental trade in cocoa products, and encouraging greater local consumption of chocolate and other cocoa-based goods.
The committee emphasized that increasing value addition within producing countries would help create jobs, drive industrial growth, diversify exports, and ensure more income is retained locally.
Much of the world’s cocoa is currently exported in raw or semi-processed form by producers such as Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, while the highest-value activities—such as manufacturing, branding, and retail—are largely concentrated in Europe, North America, and Asia.
The Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI), an intergovernmental platform aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two leading producers, reaffirmed that expanding local processing is key to transforming the cocoa sector and improving economic outcomes for farmers and national economies.
Officials also called for stronger intra-African trade in cocoa products and the development of regional markets to support long-term industry growth.
The committee concluded that advancing value addition is essential for building a more resilient cocoa economy that delivers fairer and more sustainable returns to producing countries.
Source: citinews
