The Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) Ghana Limited has secured export commitments from buyers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia for Ghana’s semi-finished cocoa products, strengthening the commercial outlook for President John Dramani Mahama’s plan to process at least 50% of the country’s cocoa locally.
The agreements were secured by CMC Managing Director, Wisdom Kofi Dogbey (D.Min, D.Hum) during a series of high-level engagements with commodities institutions and cocoa industry stakeholders in Dubai and Riyadh.
The commitments cover Ghana’s semi-finished cocoa products, including cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa cake and cocoa powder, and are expected to provide assured markets for increased domestic cocoa processing.
The development addresses one of the key commercial challenges associated with expanding local processing—ensuring reliable demand for processed cocoa products before production capacity is fully utilized.
Dubai: A Sourcing-to-Shelf Blueprint
In Dubai, Dr. Dogbey held discussions with officials of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), whose integrated commodity ecosystem links producers directly with processors and international markets.
The engagements explored opportunities for Ghana’s cocoa products to benefit from the planned establishment of a dedicated cocoa membership within the DMCC, similar to its existing coffee and tea platforms.
According to senior DMCC executive Ahmad Hamza, integrating Ghana’s cocoa derivatives into the Centre’s trading ecosystem would strengthen exports while providing processors and traders with reliable access to premium Ghanaian cocoa products.
For Ghana, the partnership offers an opportunity to diversify export destinations beyond traditional European markets and expand access to buyers across the Middle East and Asia.
Riyadh: Cocoa Meets Vision 2030
In Riyadh, further engagements produced commitments to import Ghanaian cocoa into Saudi Arabia in support of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 food sustainability goals.
Anchoring cocoa supply within Saudi
Arabia’s food-security and economic-diversification agenda gives Ghana a strategically aligned, long-term buyer for its semi-finished products.
Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing confectionery and food manufacturing sectors are expected to create new opportunities for Ghana’s value-added cocoa exports while supporting the country’s efforts to capture a greater share of the global cocoa value chain.
Maximizing existing processing capacity
Officials indicated that the government’s cocoa value-addition strategy is focused on maximizing Ghana’s existing processing capacity rather than constructing new factories.
Several cocoa processing facilities already operate below installed capacity, largely due to market uncertainties and financing constraints.
By securing long-term export demand, CMC aims to improve utilization of these facilities, increase domestic grinding, and generate higher export earnings from processed cocoa products.
As Ghana’s sole authorized cocoa exporter, CMC is increasingly positioning itself beyond the traditional export of raw cocoa beans by building strategic international partnerships capable of supporting the country’s industrialization agenda.
The Gulf agreements represent a significant milestone in Ghana’s efforts to strengthen cocoa value addition, diversify export markets, and enhance foreign exchange earnings through increased exports of higher-value cocoa products.
