By Ebenezer Chike Adjei NJOKU Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Bryan Achaempong, has announced that major cocoa processors, rather than banks, will be the primary sources of funding to address any shortfalls Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) may face ahead of the 2024/2025 season. Addressing concerns about local banks' willingness to...
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has defended its decision to move away from syndicated external borrowing, the reasons for which have sparked a heated debate. In a statement issued yesterday, COCOBOD Chief Executive Joseph Boahene Aidoo rejected claims made by the Minority in parliament which argued that the cocoa regulator...
By Joshua Worlasi AMLANU Ghana’s cocoa sector is set to receive a significant boost in the coming years, with rehabilitated farms projected to add over 200,000 metric tonnes to the nation's annual cocoa production. This development was highlighted by Chief Executive Officer-Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Mr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, during a...
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) invested nearly a billion cedis last year to rehabilitate aged cocoa farms and those ravaged by swollen shoot diseases to help increase national production in the short- to medium-term. The amount adds to similar spending in previous years to replace farms attacked by the virus,...
By Joshua Worlasi AMLANU The domestic cocoa industry is witnessing encouraging results from ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing efficiency and financial viability, according to Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, Director-Economic Strategy and Research Division, Ministry of Finance. Speaking at the Inaugural Quarterly Economic Roundtable, Dr. Iddrisu highlighted collaborative efforts between the Ministry of...
Solidaridad has formally ended the Cocoa Life programme's first phase with a series of engagements in programme communities and districts across the Eastern Region of Ghana. The five-year programme, implemented between October 2018 and December 2023, focused on supporting cocoa-growing communities in strengthening their capacities to determine and achieve their...
The World Cocoa Farmers Organization (WCFO) Ghana chapter has presented a proposal to the Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, focusing on land tenure issues faced by cocoa farmers, particularly tenant farmers in the Western North Region of Ghana. This presentation, held in Accra, aims to help farmers secure...
lowest since 2021 as trade surpluses mask lack of real growth By Joshua Worlasi AMLANU Cocoa exports plunged in the first quarter of 2024 - dampening growth of the country's trade surplus, fresh data have shown. While the surplus is widening in nominal terms, this has been mainly due to rising...
In September, Equatorial Guinea will host the maiden edition of the Intra Africa Coffee and Cocoa Trade Week (IACCTW). At a time that AFCFTA is all the rage, this event will seek to showcase the vast potential of intra-African trade, exemplified by the specific commodities of coffee and cocoa, as...
by: Nana Yaw Reuben The Ghana Civil-Society Cocoa Platform (GCCP) and the Ivorian Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (PICD) says the time has come for action to reflect the will expressed by the European Union in the Brussels Declaration. This 5th edition of the World Cocoa Conference focused on discussing equitable distribution...