Ghana to host WCF Partnership Meeting
Ghana to host 2027 World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting
Ghana has been named as the host of the 2027 World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Partnership Meeting, a global gathering that will bring together industry leaders, policymakers and cocoa sector stakeholders to chart a new path for sustainable cocoa production.
The Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, announced the feat in Accra last Thursday.
The 2027 partnership meeting will be the first time in over a decade that the prestigious event will be held in Africa, following the 2016 edition held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The Deputy Minister of Finance stressed that cocoa sustainability could no longer be treated as a side conversation and that resilience could not be outsourced to farms.
“Government alone cannot secure the future of cocoa.
The future of cocoa will require stronger partnerships between governments, industry, financial institutions, research organisations, civil society, and farming communities,” he stated.
Mr Nyarko Ampem called for long-term investment, fairer value distribution, predictable market partnerships and greater alignment between sustainability commitments and farmer realities.
He said producing countries should not remain at the bottom of the value chain while carrying the greatest production risks, and stressed the need for building greater local processing capacity and retaining more value within producing countries.
Critical crossroads
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Randy Abbey, said the world cocoa industry stood at a critical crossroads, with climate change, plant diseases such as swollen shoot, and rising input costs threatening farm survival.
“The world loves chocolate, but the system that delivers it is under immense strain. Cocoa prices are returning to their lows, our farmers are the backbone of this multi-billion-dollar industry, yet many still struggle to earn a living income,” Dr Abbey stated.
Dr Abbey said Ghana had started investing aggressively in climate-smart agriculture, rehabilitation of diseased farms, and robust traceability systems under the leadership of the Finance Minister.
“True sustainability starts with human dignity,” Dr Abbey added, stressing that producing countries could not carry the financial burden of sustainability alone.
Dr Abbey disclosed that COCOBOD would use the 2027 Partnership Meeting to call on international partners, chocolate manufacturers, and global buyers to step up with concrete financial commitments.
“Compliance with new regulations must not become a tax on the poor. We need a fair, transparent pricing structure that reflects the true cost of sustainable production,” he said.
COCOBOD’s 80th anniversary
The 2027 Partnership Meeting will coincide with COCOBOD’s 80th anniversary, and Dr Abbey said a series of events would be organised to mark the milestone, with full participation of international partners.
The Country Director of the World Cocoa Foundation for Ghana and Nigeria, Mawuli Coffie, called for sustainability discussions to focus on supply chains and adequately address economics at the farm level.
He said a decent and predictable income for cocoa farmers would enable them to invest in their farms, manage risks and chart a pathway to prosperity.
“To ensure that cocoa farming remains attractive, we need stronger partnerships and collaborations between farmers and government to engender collective action to tackle the ills in the cocoa industry,” Mr Coffie said.
He added that the WCF remained resolute in safeguarding the lot of cocoa farmers.
“Ghana has played a leading role in the global cocoa sector, and we are proud that the international cocoa community will gather here in 2027 to help shape the sector’s future together,” he stated.
