Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote is in talks with Ghana to make the country a cocoa-processing hub under a proposed deal covering 500,000 metric tons of cocoa. The proposal aligns with Ghana’s ambition to process 50% of its cocoa production locally by 2028 and achieve full domestic processing by 2030. The Ghanaian government is also seeking to reform the cocoa sector. It is currently seeking an amendment to the Cocoa Board Act, which will introduce mandatory local-processing requirements. The government hopes the strategy will retain more agricultural value domestically and create industrial opportunities. The finance minister noted that Ghana spends roughly $3.5 billion a year importing food such as palm oil, sugar, rice, and poultry, and argued that modernizing agriculture would help cut that bill.
