Côte d’Ivoire has inaugurated a major state-owned cocoa processing factory in a strategic move to increase local value addition in the global industry. The new facility, built at a cost of 130 billion CFA francs (approximately US$232 million), is located within the PK24 Industrial Park on the outskirts of Abidjan.
The newly commissioned Transcao complex covers 21 hectares and marks the country’s first modern, government-owned grinding plant. It is expected to significantly advance Côte d’Ivoire’s goal of processing at least 50 percent of its cocoa production locally by 2030.
The facility boasts:
An annual processing capacity of 50,000 tons of cocoa beans;
A storage warehouse with capacity for 160,000 tons;
A training center to develop local talent in cocoa and chocolate production;
Administrative offices and other support infrastructure.
Speaking at the inauguration, Vice President Tiémoko Meyliet Koné and Minister of Agriculture Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani lauded the project as a major milestone for the nation’s agricultural industrialization agenda. The project’s execution was led by China Light Industry Nanning Design Engineering Co., Ltd., strengthening China’s technical partnership with Côte d’Ivoire.
A strategic step tiward economic diversification
The Transcao factory is part of a broader strategy to reduce Côte d’Ivoire’s dependence on raw exports and shift towards a value-added, job-creating industrial economy. The government aims to double its processing capacity in conjunction with its existing San Pedro unit, increasing total state-run capacity to 100,000 tons annually.
Over 1,400 direct jobs have already been created through the project, which also serves as a training ground for Ivorian technicians and young professionals in value chain management and agro-industrial engineering.
The factory’s development reflects Côte d’Ivoire’s ambition to become a global cocoa-processing hub, extending beyond chocolate into related industries such as cosmetics, food ingredients, and beverages.
Côte d’Ivoire: Cocoa powerhouse with global ambitions
Côte d’Ivoire remains the world’s largest cocoa producer, accounting for nearly 50 percent of global supply. In 2024 alone, the country produced about 2 million tonnes of cocoa beans, with 44 percent already processed domestically.
However, the government aims to raise that to 100 percent local processing by 2030, which would mark a historic shift from exporting raw beans to becoming a leading exporter of semi-finished and finished cocoa products.
This effort is also intended to reduce the nation’s vulnerability to fluctuating international prices and to climate-related risks, such as disease outbreaks and erratic rainfall, which increasingly threaten cocoa farming communities.
Leadership remarks
During the commissioning, Vice President Koné praised the project as a transformative step, thanking China and the Coffee-Cocoa Council for what he described as “an employment-creating project” with long-term national benefits.
Minister Adjoumani added: “This plant embodies our ambition to valorize this precious resource, ensuring a sustainable and inclusive future for our cocoa sector.”
What’s next?
The Transcao plant is projected to increase its processing capacity to 210,000 tons annually by 2027, further positioning Côte d’Ivoire as a key player in the global cocoa value chain.
In the coming years:
Processed cocoa products will be supplied to both domestic and international markets.
Farmer support programs, including training and digital traceability tools, are expected to improve both productivity and earnings for producers.
Continued investment will focus on building resilient supply chains and complying with environmental and labor standards demanded by key export destinations, particularly in Europe.
A cocoa giant reinventing itself
With the launch of the Transcao facility, Côte d’Ivoire is taking a bold step toward economic transformation. The project signals a strategic pivot—from exporting low-value raw materials to building a diversified, resilient, and value-driven cocoa economy.
As global demand for sustainable and traceable cocoa products grows, Côte d’Ivoire is not only securing its future as a top producer but also emerging as a continental and global leader in cocoa processing.
