Government has announced sweeping reforms in Ghana’s cocoa sector, including a directive that at least 50 per cent of all cocoa beans be processed locally beginning with the 2026–2027 crop season.
Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson disclosed the decision at a press briefing on Thursday, February 12, after an emergency Cabinet meeting convened to address challenges facing the sector.
According to him, the new policy will be captured in a Cocoa Board Bill to be laid before Parliament, making the 50 per cent local processing requirement a legal obligation.
As part of the reforms, Cabinet has directed the immediate revival of two key state-owned enterprises the Produce Buying Company (PBC) and the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC).
Dr Forson said PBC will resume full operations and reposition itself as the leading licensed buying company in the cocoa sector with immediate effect. The move comes at a time when Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) are owed about GH¢2.04 billion by the Ghana Cocoa Board, with some farmers reportedly unpaid since November 2025.
Reviving PBC, the Minister noted, is expected to restore competition in the cocoa purchasing space and provide farmers with more reliable and timely payment options, especially as some private LBCs struggle with liquidity constraints.
Cabinet has also directed that the remainder of cocoa beans for the ongoing 2025–2026 crop season be allocated for domestic processing. This takes effect immediately.
Dr Forson explained that under a new financing model being developed, COCOBOD will have the flexibility to sell beans of any volume directly to local processing companies to promote value addition and job creation.
Currently, Ghana processes only about 30 to 35 per cent of its cocoa beans locally, with the majority exported to processing facilities in Europe, Asia and North America. By increasing the mandatory local processing threshold to 50 per cent, government aims to capture greater value from the cocoa industry, create more jobs and reduce reliance on raw commodity exports.
The Finance Minister emphasised that the local processing requirement will be firmly embedded in the new Cocoa Board Bill expected to be presented to Parliament.
He added that reviving CPC is central to achieving the 50 per cent target, positioning the state-owned processor to become a leading player in Ghana’s cocoa value chain once again.
