Ghana is set to host the 2027 World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting in Accra in March 2027, which the government considers as a significant milestone for the country and Africa’s leadership in the global cocoa business.
The Deputy Minister of Finance, Hon. Thomas Nyarko Ampem, emphasised the importance of resilience and sustainability in Ghana’s performance in the global cocoa industry during his remarks at the formal announcement event.
Mr. Ampem reflected on the cocoa sector, pointing out that it sustains a chocolate industry valued at more than $100 billion yearly and provides a living for over 50 million people worldwide.
Additionally, he said, cocoa has funded development, sustained livelihoods, and made a substantial contribution to Ghana’s economic transition.
Many cocoa producers still suffer with poor incomes in spite of this.
“That contradiction must concern all of us. Because the future of chocolate cannot be secure if the future of cocoa farmers remains uncertain” he said
He also acknowledged the industry’s unprecedented global pressures, pointing out that they reveal structural inefficiencies in the world’s cocoa economies. These pressures include climate change, cocoa diseases, environmental degradation, volatility in global cocoa prices, and the need for sustainability and traceability.
Leaders from the world’s cocoa and chocolate industries will convene at the 2027 World Cocoa Foundation Meeting to discuss urgent issues and prospects, such as supply security, farmer livelihoods, crop diseases, climate resilience, and long-term sustainability.
Mr. Ampem expressed confidence in the meeting’s subject, “From Origin to Global Resilience,” characterising it as pertinent, contemporary, and consistent with Ghana’s ongoing “Cocoa Reset” strategy.
According to him, the Reset Agenda is one of the biggest attempts to change the chocolate industry in recent years.
The Deputy Minister said that in order for Ghana to retain more cocoa value and effectively compete in the global market, the government has implemented a series of reforms to strengthen governance, improve farmer support, increase productivity, expand local processing, and restore financial discipline.
He pointed out that the 2027 Partnership Meeting was an opportunity to develop a new global cocoa compact and to support farmer prosperity, sustainability, resilience, innovation, and long-term value generation.
Additionally, he pointed out that the meeting’s timing with the festivities of Ghana @ 70 and the 80th anniversary of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) creates perfect alignment for a meaningful discussion about what he called Ghana’s “strategic national asset.”
Mr. Ampem reiterated Ghana’s dedication to providing a forum for important international discussions during a period when cooperation, creativity, and group effort are desperately needed.
Source: newsthemegh.com