Ghana’s cocoa farmers are set to benefit from a major financial boost as the World Bank commits approximately $75 million to revive struggling cocoa farms and improve livelihoods across the country.
The funding, mobilised under the West Africa Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), will support the rehabilitation of about 25,000 hectares of cocoa farms affected by disease and declining productivity, with a focus on increasing yields and strengthening farmer incomes.
Speaking at a civil society engagement on food security in Accra, Agricultural Economist at the World Bank Ghana, Dr. Ashwini Sebastian, said the initiative forms part of broader efforts to build more resilient agricultural systems across West Africa.
“The programme allows us to leverage grant financing to support key agricultural value chains,” she explained, noting that seed funding from the Norwegian government is also being deployed to support implementation.
Beyond cocoa, the programme is promoting agricultural diversification and resilience. Dr. Sebastian revealed that improved seed systems are being piloted in selected regions, including drought-resistant crop varieties for farmers in northern Ghana to enhance productivity during the dry season.
She added that cashew seedlings are also being distributed to farmers as an alternative income source, helping to reduce over-reliance on cocoa and improve household earnings.
However, the cocoa rehabilitation component remains central to the initiative. The programme will replace diseased and aging cocoa trees with improved, high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties, while encouraging better farm management practices. An initial target is to restore 5,000 hectares by July.
Ghana’s cocoa sector, a key pillar of the economy and a major source of foreign exchange, has been under pressure from swollen shoot disease, climate variability, and aging plantations. Analysts say targeted investments like this are crucial to reversing declining output and sustaining the country’s global competitiveness.
The World Bank believes that strengthening resilience in strategic crops such as cocoa will not only support farmer incomes but also contribute to broader economic stability and food security in Ghana and across the region.
