Ghana to Process Half Its Cocoa Locally by 2027

Ghana just announced a bold plan to stop shipping away its chocolate future and start building it at home.

Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson revealed Cabinet-approved reforms that will transform Ghana from a country that mostly exports raw cocoa beans into one that processes them into finished products. The change means more jobs, more money staying in local economies, and a stronger industrial base for West Africa's second-largest economy.

Starting immediately, the remainder of cocoa beans from the 2025/2026 crop season will go primarily to domestic processors instead of overseas buyers. It's a dramatic pivot for a nation that has long shipped its cocoa abroad and watched other countries capture the profits from turning those beans into chocolate bars, cocoa butter, and other products.

The government set an even more ambitious target for the 2026/2027 season: at least 50% of all cocoa produced in Ghana must be processed locally. To make this happen, the Ghana Cocoa Board can now sell beans of any volume directly to domestic processing companies, removing old restrictions that held back local manufacturers.

Ghana's cocoa processors are ready for the challenge. The Finance Minister met recently with industry leaders who confirmed they have both the willingness and capacity to process more than half the country's cocoa production right now.

The state-owned Cocoa Processing Company is getting revived as part of the strategy. Officials plan to reposition it as a leading processor that can compete globally while anchoring Ghana's domestic capacity.

The Ripple Effect

This policy reaches far beyond factory floors. Processing cocoa locally creates jobs across multiple sectors including manufacturing, logistics, packaging, and quality control. Families who farm cocoa will see their communities benefit not just from growing beans but from the entire value chain.

Ghana will also earn more from exports by shipping finished and semi-finished products instead of raw materials. Chocolate products and cocoa butter command far higher prices on global markets than unprocessed beans, meaning more revenue flowing back into the country.

The reforms address a challenge facing many African nations: how to move beyond exporting raw materials and capture more value from their natural resources. Ghana's cocoa sector employs millions of farmers, and keeping processing local means those communities see more returns from their labor.

Implementation begins immediately, with agreements already in place between government and processors. The urgency signals how seriously Ghana is taking this transformation of one of its most important economic sectors.

Ghana is betting its chocolate future on homegrown talent, and the whole country stands to taste the rewards.