Akufo-Addo advocates for more financial gain for cocoa farmers

President Akufo-Addo has bemoaned the situation where cocoa farmers across the world particularly in Africa are undervalued for their products

Advocating for more financial gain for the farmers, he said, cocoa farmers across the globe do not get requisite value for their sweat on the farms, thus, the need to “look at intelligent and Sustainable ways to change” the situation.

The President was addressing a forum at the Mahogany Room at the Harvard Club in New York, organized by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), the umbrella membership body for cocoa farmers around the world and based in Washington, D.C.

He disclosed that, "Between Ivory Coast and Ghana, we account for 60% of the world's output of cocoa, but at the same time, between us in 2015, we earned 5.7 to 8 billion dollars for this 60% output and yet my understanding is that the chocolate market is worth over 100 billion dollars. So here are the Ghanaian and Ivory Coast farmers who are producing the raw material for this industry and yet are gaining just 5% to 6% of the value. For me I think the time has come for us to look at intelligent and Sustainable ways to change that equation.”

The World Cocoa Foundation

The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is an international membership organization whose vision is a sustainable and thriving cocoa sector – where farmers prosper, cocoa-growing communities are empowered, human rights are respected, and the environment is conserved.
WCF works closely with cocoa-producing country governments at the national and local levels and also with farmer organizations.

The World Cocoa Foundation also promotes a sustainable cocoa economy through economic, social and environmental development in cocoa-growing communities. Members operate from six continents, representing 80 percent of the global cocoa and chocolate market, and provide a uniquely informed perspective on the interconnected nature and needs of the cocoa industry.

President's Open Invitation

The President took the opportunity to invite all the participants at the forum to come to Ghana and partner with Ghanaian Cocoa farmers to bring their expertise to bear for cocoa farmers in Ghana. The President added that their technical know-how is readily needed in Ghana as such the doors of the cocoa industry in Ghana is widely opened to them.