By Maltiti Sayida Sadick
Ghana’s Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) has made a strong global pitch for investment support behind President John Mahama’s ambitious policy to process 50% of the country’s cocoa locally.
Speaking at the Africa Cocoa Finance and Investment Forum (ACFIF) 2026 at the London Stock Exchange, CMC Managing Director, Dr. Wisdom Kofi Dogbey, outlined a commercially driven roadmap aimed at transforming Ghana from a raw cocoa exporter into a major processing hub.
According to him, although Ghana produces between 650,000 and 800,000 tonnes of cocoa annually, about 70% is exported as raw beans, leaving higher profits to foreign processors.
“Ghana has 13 processing companies with a combined capacity of 500,000 tonnes, but many operate below capacity due to unreliable bean supply,” he stated.
Dr. Dogbey argued that the new policy, beginning in the 2026/27 crop season, will make local processing profitable through improved bean quality, discounted light crop beans for local factories, and tax incentives under Ghana’s Free Zones framework.
He revealed that CMC will allocate guaranteed cocoa volumes to processors including CPC, WAMCO, Niche Cocoa, Plot Enterprise, and TF Commodities, while a domestic bond programme will help Licensed Buying Companies purchase beans faster from farmers.
The CMC boss also disclosed ongoing efforts to secure long-term international offtake agreements for Ghanaian processors to improve financing opportunities and investor confidence.
Highlighting the bigger picture, Dr. Dogbey noted that while Africa produces about 75% of the world’s cocoa, it earns less than 10% of the $130 billion global chocolate market.
“We are not just talking about cocoa prices. Ghana wants to supply the global beauty, healthcare, and food manufacturing industries,” he told investors, citing the growing demand for cocoa products in skincare, pharmaceuticals, and wellness sectors.
The presentation was widely seen as a major step in positioning Ghana as a value-added cocoa processing powerhouse in Africa.
