Ghana Could Reach 50% Cocoa Processing Capacity in 4-5 Years, Surpassing Côte d'Ivoire - Mahama

Abidjan, Cote d'ivore - 28 May, 2025 - President John Dramani Mahama has expressed optimism that Ghana is poised to match or surpass Côte d’Ivoire's benchmark of processing 50% of its cocoa locally within the next four to five years.

Speaking at the 60th Annual Meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan, Mahama highlighted Ghana's progress in domestic cocoa processing, noting that the country has increased its processing capacity from 25% to 40%.

He attributed the growth to efforts aimed at adding value to the country's cocoa beans. However, Mahama also pointed out structural trade obstacles that hinder African economies, particularly non-tariff barriers that make it difficult for local businesses to export finished products to the EU and American markets.

"The world economic order is rigged against Africa," Mahama stated, emphasizing the need for African countries to overcome these challenges to scale up value addition and boost their economies.

“Unless they bring a processor from outside—from Europe—who comes and sets up a processing plant and gets all the regulatory things in place, an indigenous person setting up a processing plant sometimes has big difficulty in exporting finished products into the EU market and into the American market.''

Despite these hurdles, Mahama remains confident that Ghana can reach and even surpass Côte d’Ivoire's 50% cocoa processing benchmark, further solidifying the country's position in the global cocoa industry.

“From a low of about 25% processed cocoa, Ghana has risen to about 40%,” he stated.

“Côte d’Ivoire is ahead of us. They have done 50%, which is commendable. We hope that over the next four to five years, we will reach the stage of Côte d’Ivoire at 50% and push even further,'' he remarked.

Source: Lead News Online