Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire Pledge Closer Cocoa Cooperation
Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, which together produce about 60 percent of the world's cocoa, have signed a joint declaration pledging closer cooperation on pricing, local processing, environmental protection, and scientific research. The agreement was reached at a high-level bilateral summit in Abidjan between Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama and his Ivorian counterpart, President Alassane Ouattara.
At the summit, Ouattara underscored the importance of the partnership, stating, "With my brother, President John Dramani Mahama, we reaffirm today our determination to continue building together a fair, prosperous and sustainable cocoa economy for Côte d'Ivoire, for Ghana and for Africa." He added that the future of the sector was "a major issue of economic sovereignty, social stability and shared prosperity" for both nations.
Mahama echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need for closer collaboration to improve farmers' livelihoods and create greater value from cocoa production. "We are partners, not adversaries or competitors, in the cocoa sector. This collaboration must be strengthened, and it must allow us to make our producers happy," he said, stressing that the goal was not only to produce cocoa but to process more of it locally, so both countries could benefit from its full value.
Under the declaration, the two leaders agreed to expand the Cocoa Alliance by inviting other African cocoa-producing countries to join, with the aim of strengthening the continent's collective bargaining power in international markets. They also agreed to establish a common framework for determining cocoa producer prices, a move expected to stabilize incomes for farmers.
The declaration includes commitments to environmental protection and scientific research, notably efforts to combat cocoa swollen shoot virus disease, which has threatened production in the region.
Both leaders framed the agreement as a step toward greater economic sovereignty for African cocoa producers, who have long been at the mercy of global price fluctuations. By coordinating their strategies, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire aim to secure better incomes for millions of farmers and increase local processing to capture more of the value chain.
The summit marked a continuation of the two countries' efforts to align their cocoa policies, building on previous agreements to harmonize export prices and address sustainability challenges. The expansion of the Cocoa Alliance could further amplify their influence, potentially reshaping the global cocoa market.