By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, Oct. 23, GNA – Mr Adeola Adegoke, the Global President, Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COFAAA), says Africa could soon lose its global leadership in cocoa production if systemic challenges threatening farmers’ livelihoods and the sustainability of the cocoa ecosystem are not urgently addressed.
He said despite Africa producing 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa, it continued to grapple with underdevelopment within cocoa-growing communities, forcing many farmers out of production and opening the door for other continents to overtake Africa in the coming years.
“All these are linked to low farmer incomes, rising production costs, deforestation, illegal mining encroachment, child labour pressures, and the continued lack of value addition on the continent,” he added.
The Global President was speaking at the 2025 African Cocoa Summit and Awards in Accra, under the theme, “Building Sustainable Africa Cocoa Ecosystem: Unlocking Economic Potentials, Driving Inclusive Growth.”
It was organised by the COFAA and Cocoa Roundtable Initiative (CORI), in collaboration with Global Cocoa Stakeholders.
The summit seeks to bring value chain stakeholders together to examine the crisis and propose practical, Africa-led solutions that move beyond complaints to action.
Mr Adegoke said while the global chocolate industry was valued at over $130 billion, African cocoa farmers earned less than six per cent of that revenue, leaving communities impoverished despite their central role in the global value chain.
He said many still struggled with access to potable water, good roads, and basic social services, while their children were unable to secure quality education due to lack of funding.
Mr Adegoke added that the situation had been worsened by skyrocketing input costs and declining farmgate prices, which had eroded farmers’ confidence and threatened the survival of cocoa farms across the continent.
He said illegal mining activities were also taking over fertile cocoa lands, compounding the threat.
The Global President stressed the need for policies that encouraged local cocoa processing and consumption to retain more value within the continent.
“Africa has not been taught how to consume chocolate. You will find a farmer who has been producing cocoa for 40 years and has never seen or tasted a chocolate bar. That must change,” he said.
Mr Adegoke called for stronger investments in communities, stakeholder accountability within the value chain, and deliberate government action to improve farmer income, promote value addition, and safeguard the long-term viability of the industry.
Nana Yaw Reuben Jnr, the Country Director, COFAAA – Ghana, said that cocoa farmers had been excluded for too long from the very conversations that determined the future of their livelihoods.
He said going forward, COFAAA envisioned a future in which international partners do not merely host conversations about cocoa abroad with minimal African representation, but engage with farmers in Africa, where cocoa was grown and its impact was most deeply felt.
Nana Yaw said the narrative must change, and that discussions about cocoa must be rooted in Africa if we are to build a vibrant and sustainable cocoa ecosystem that prioritised value addition on the continent.
“Cocoa is fundamentally an African commodity. Europe does not grow cocoa; it sources every bean from African soil. It is therefore only right that Africa receives due recognition for its role in sustaining the global cocoa economy”
He said African farmers deserved fair pricing, genuine participation in sectoral dialogues, and full inclusion in decisions shaping the cocoa industry, and that for true justice and sustainability, farmers must not only be represented, but they must also lead.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo