Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has stated government’s commitment to transforming the nation’s cocoa industry from merely exporting raw beans to building a full-fledged cocoa economy that empowers farmers and creates sustainable jobs.
Speaking at the EU Sustainable Cocoa Initiative in Brussels on the final day of the Global Gateway Forum, the Vice President called on the European Union and its partners to channel greater investment into Ghana’s cocoa value chain. She said such collaboration would help improve the livelihoods of farmers and promote fairness in global trade.
“Ghana is clear about moving beyond the export of raw cocoa beans to building a cocoa economy that empowers farmers and creates jobs,” she stated. “We need partnerships that ensure investment in our cocoa sector for the benefit of the people who make this industry possible the farmers.”
Professor Opoku-Agyemang highlighted the government’s Big Push Initiative, which focuses on building infrastructure to support agro-industrialization, and the Connect 24 pillar of the government’s 24-hour economy, which aims to ensure a seamless flow of energy and data across productive sectors.
She noted that these strategic interventions are designed to enhance value addition, boost competitiveness, and make Ghana’s agricultural sector more resilient and inclusive.
The EU Sustainable Cocoa Initiative brings together stakeholders from across the cocoa value chain to promote sustainability, traceability, and equitable benefits for producers in Africa’s leading cocoa-producing countries.