Accra, Oct. 27, GNA – The Managing Director of Cocoa Marketing Company (Ghana) Limited (CMC), Mr Wisdom Kofi Dogbey, has called for increased investment in Ghana’s cocoa processing industry to boost value addition, create jobs and improve returns across the cocoa value chain.
He made the call at the second African Cocoa Finance and Investment Forum (ACFIF), held in Wall Street, New York, on Monday, October 26, an official release shared with the Ghana News Agency, in Accra said.
Speaking on a panel, he outlined bankable opportunities for investors across Africa’s cocoa sector and investment opportunities across the cocoa value chain.
Mr Dogbey identified farm rehabilitation, domestic processing, technology, research and risk management as areas with significant potential for investment.
He explained that existing cocoa processing factories in Ghana could increase production capacity and operate at higher utilisation levels with adequate working capital, equipment upgrades and reliable markets for finished and semi-finished products.
Financing arrangements linked to processing capacity and product offtake, he added, could help unlock investment, expand local value addition and generate sustainable employment.
Mr Dogbey also highlighted opportunities for commercialising cocoa-based products, including cocoa butter soap and body pomade developed by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), as well as beverages made from cocoa pulp.
Such products could diversify the uses of cocoa, open up new markets and provide farmers with additional income streams.
He said technology providers could support improved traceability and supply chain efficiency, while banks and brokers could develop affordable financing and hedging products tailored to the needs of local cocoa traders and processors.
Mr Dogbey emphasised that attracting investment into the sector required commercially viable projects backed by capable operators, identifiable customers, clear business arrangements and financing structures aligned with projected cash flows.
The forum brought together chocolate manufacturers, cocoa traders, supply chain participants from major cocoa-producing countries and investors from Europe and North America to explore financing and investment opportunities across the industry.
His participation comes as Ghana implements reforms to its cocoa sector announced in February 2026, which seek to strengthen domestic processing and retain a greater share of the value generated from cocoa within the country.
The push for investment in local processing forms part of broader efforts to move beyond the export of raw cocoa beans towards greater domestic value addition, industrial development and employment creation.
GNA
Edited by Beatrice Asamani Savage