By Edward Acquah, GNA
Accra, April 15, GNA – Traceability is critical to Ghana’s competitiveness and access to premium international cocoa markets, Dr Wisdom Kofi Dogbey, Managing Director of the Cocoa Marketing Company (Ghana) Limited, has said.
He said the global cocoa trade was undergoing a structural shift, where traceability had become a central determinant of market access, buyer preference and origin competitiveness, alongside quality, volume and price.
Dr Dogbey, who said this in an article, explained that traceability involved tracking cocoa from production through the supply chain, supported by verifiable data on environmental compliance, labour standards and land use.
“The implications at the trading level are immediate,” he stated, noting that emerging regulations, particularly in the European Union, would restrict market access for cocoa that could not be traced.
“In practical terms, non-traceable supply will find its counterparty universe shrinking, while verified, traceable cocoa will command differentiation premiums and preferred-partner status,” he said.
Dr Dogbey said for processors and manufacturers, traceability had become a core supply chain requirement, influencing sourcing decisions.
“An origin that offers quality and traceability together becomes a preferred partner. An origin that offers quality without traceability becomes a risk,” he said.
Dr Dogbey said Ghana had strong structural advantages, including a regulated supply chain, established quality assurance systems and international credibility, but these must be translated into operational systems.
“Converting Ghana’s structural assets into operational traceability infrastructure requires investment in digital systems, farmer-level data capture, inter-institutional coordination, and regulatory alignment,” he said.
Dr Dogbey said the traceability agenda should be viewed as an opportunity for value creation and leadership in the global cocoa market, rather than merely a compliance burden.
“Countries that lead in traceability will not merely comply with market requirements, they will shape them… and attract the sustainability-linked financing increasingly flowing toward verified supply chains,” he said.
Dr Dogbey called for informed public discourse on traceability, citing issues such as data ownership, cost implications for smallholder farmers and equitable sharing of compliance responsibilities.
At the institutional level, he said the Cocoa Marketing Company was collaborating with stakeholders within the Ghana Cocoa Board ecosystem and international partners to develop scalable traceability systems.
“The objective is not merely to meet external requirements, but to position Ghana as a benchmark origin, one whose traceability credentials enhance, rather than merely protect, its market standing,” he said.
Dr Dogbey said the future of cocoa trade would favour origins able to provide verifiable proof of production and supply.
“The cocoa origins that will lead the next chapter of global trade will be those that can offer not just quality, but proof… not just a reputation, but a documented record that substantiates it,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey