Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote is in talks with the Ghanaian government over a proposed arrangement to process up to 500,000 metric tonnes of cocoa in Ghana, as the country moves to expand local value addition in its cocoa industry.
Ghana’s Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, disclosed the development on Thursday after presenting the country’s 2027 Budget to Parliament.
Forson said Dangote had approached the Ghanaian government with a proposal to establish Ghana as a hub for cocoa processing, with negotiations currently focused on the terms of the proposed agreement.
“Dangote has reached out to use Ghana as a hub to process cocoa locally,” the minister said.
He added that discussions were still ongoing and that no contract had been signed.
“We are going through the terms, and they want to sign a contract,” Forson said.
The proposed deal comes as Ghana seeks to reduce its dependence on the export of raw cocoa beans and retain a larger share of the economic value generated from the commodity.
Under the government’s cocoa value-addition plan, Ghana aims to process at least 50 per cent of its cocoa locally by 2028 and 100 per cent by 2030.
The 2027 Budget states that domestic processing will expand beyond primary bean grinding to include cocoa liquor, butter, cake, powder, chocolate, cosmetics and other finished products.
Forson said the government wants companies purchasing Ghanaian cocoa to undertake processing within the country rather than exporting the raw beans for value addition elsewhere.
He said the approach would help create jobs, strengthen local industries and increase the value Ghana derives from its cocoa production.
A new Cocoa Board Act currently before Parliament is expected to provide a legal framework for mandatory local processing, while a subsequent legislative instrument will set the timetable for increasing domestic processing capacity to 100 per cent by 2030.
The proposed Dangote investment would add to the billionaire’s expanding interests in agriculture, food processing and industrial production across Africa.
Dangote has existing investments in agricultural processing and production in Nigeria, while his group is also developing major fertiliser investments in Ethiopia.
The Ghana cocoa proposal, however, remains at the negotiation stage, with the terms yet to be concluded and no contract formally signed.
