Ghana is preparing to use the 2027 World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Partnership Meeting in Accra to intensify pressure on the global chocolate industry for fairer cocoa pricing and stronger support for farmers battling climate change, crop diseases and rising production costs.
Announcing Ghana as host of the high-level global cocoa summit, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Randy Abbey, warned that the future of cocoa production was under serious threat despite the billions generated annually by the global chocolate industry.
“We stand at a critical period in the history of global cocoa production. The world loves chocolate, but the system that delivers it is under immense strain,” he declared.
The meeting, scheduled for March 16 to 18, 2027, in Accra, is expected to bring together international chocolate manufacturers, cocoa buyers, governments, sustainability advocates and development partners at a time when cocoa-producing countries are demanding greater economic justice within the global supply chain.
Dr Abbey said Ghana would use the platform to advocate stronger investments in cocoa-producing countries, improved farmer incomes and fairer pricing mechanisms that reflect the realities faced by farmers.
He warned that climate change, cocoa swollen shoot viral disease and increasing production costs were eroding farm productivity and threatening the livelihoods of cocoa farmers across West Africa.
According to him, sustainability conversations within the cocoa industry must move beyond rhetoric and focus on protecting farmers whose labour sustains the global chocolate market.
The COCOBOD CEO also described Ghana’s selection as host of the 2027 summit as a major international endorsement of the country’s leadership role in the global cocoa sector.
The event will also coincide with COCOBOD’s 80th anniversary celebrations, giving Ghana an opportunity to showcase its reforms in sustainability, traceability, climate-smart agriculture and value addition.
Dr Mawuli Cofie, Country Director of the World Cocoa Foundation for Ghana and Nigeria, echoed concerns about the worsening economic pressures facing cocoa farmers.
“We must recognise a simple reality: resilient cocoa supply chains begin with resilient farmers,” he said.
He cautioned that unless farmers receive predictable incomes, improved access to finance and better productivity support, many could abandon cocoa farming altogether, posing a long-term threat to global cocoa supply.
Dr Cofie further highlighted the continued spread of swollen shoot disease as one of the biggest dangers confronting cocoa production in Ghana and other producing countries.
Authorities say the 2027 Partnership Meeting, themed “From Origin to Resilience,” will shift global attention towards the economic survival of cocoa-producing communities and the need for more equitable benefit-sharing within the international cocoa trade.
