Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has announced that the government is implementing new measures to reduce Ghana’s reliance on raw commodity exports by focusing on value addition—particularly in the cocoa sector.
She said the initiative seeks to significantly increase local cocoa processing before export, creating jobs and strengthening Ghana’s position in international trade negotiations.
Speaking at the European Union Sustainable Cocoa Initiative in Brussels, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang revealed that government incentives have already expanded the nation’s cocoa processing capacity to about 500,000 tonnes.
She called for stronger institutional and financial support for small-scale cocoa processors, especially in rural areas, and urged enhanced partnerships to drive sustainable growth within the sector.
“Our shared challenge now is to move beyond trade based on commodity dependence towards a partnership built on value addition, sustainability and fairness. For Ghana, processing more of our beans at home is both a legitimate aspiration and a strategic imperative,” she said.
