Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has announced that Ghana is targeting to process at least half of its cocoa locally by the year 2030 as part of government’s broader strategy to create jobs and enhance value addition in the agricultural sector.
Speaking at the Africa Growth and Opportunity – Research in Action (AGORA) Conference in Palermo, Italy, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the move is central to President John Dramani Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy framework, which seeks to drive inclusive and sustainable industrialisation through agriculture.
She described cocoa as a symbol of Ghana’s global identity and a vital source of livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers, but noted that the country has not benefited enough from the value generated along the global cocoa chain.
“Cocoa is our heritage crop and a symbol of Ghana’s global connection,” she said. “Our cocoa story is rooted in the initiative of Tetteh Quarshie, who is credited with introducing cocoa to the Gold Coast in the nineteenth century. His act of scientific curiosity laid the groundwork for an industry that now provides livelihoods to more than 800,000 smallholder farmers.”
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She lamented that while Ghana has consistently ranked among the world’s top producers of cocoa beans for over a century, the greater share of the value has always been captured abroad.
“For too long, the greater value has been captured elsewhere — in factories in other parts of the world, not in the communities that nurture the crop. We are determined to change that,” she added.
According to her, government’s goal is to transform the cocoa sector into a fully integrated value chain that supports industrial growth and job creation.
“Our goal is clear: by 2030, Ghana aims to process at least half of her cocoa locally, thus generating thousands of skilled and semi-skilled jobs,” she stated.
To achieve this, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the government has introduced a range of investment incentives, including duty exemptions for machinery and accelerated depreciation for factory expansion.
She further noted that the Living Income Differential mechanism will ensure cocoa farmers share in the gains of value addition.
Meanwhile, government has announced an upward adjustment in the producer price of cocoa, increasing the price by GH¢400 per bag to support farmers and ensure Ghana remains competitive with neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
