Ghana to host 2027 World Cocoa Conference
Ghana has been officially named host of the 2027 World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Partnership Meeting, a global gathering that will bring together industry leaders, policymakers, and cocoa sector stakeholders to chart a new path for sustainable cocoa production.
The announcement was made yesterday by Deputy Minister for Finance, Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, at the Four Points by Sheraton, Accra Airport.
The 2027 Partnership Meeting will be the first time in over a decade that the prestigious event is held in Africa, following the 2016 edition in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Cocoa Industry
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Randy Abbey, said the world cocoa industry stood at a critical crossroads, with climate change, plant diseases such as swollen shoot, and rising input costs threatening farm survival.
“The world loves chocolate, but the system that delivers it is under immense strain. Cocoa prices are returning to their lows, our farmers are the backbone of this multi-billion-dollar industry, yet many still struggle to earn a living income,” Dr Abbey stated.
He recalled that in February 2025, he made a case to the WCF to host the event in Accra, and with the support of his “good friend and brother,” Dr Mawuli Coffie, they successfully made the case for Accra to host the 2027 meeting.
Dr Abbey noted that Ghana had begun investing aggressively in climate-smart agriculture, rehabilitation of diseased farms, and robust traceability systems under the leadership of the Finance Minister.
“True sustainability starts with human dignity,” Dr Abbey added, stressing that producing countries cannot carry the financial burden of sustainability alone.
Dr Abbey disclosed that COCOBOD would use the 2027 Partnership Meeting to call on international partners, chocolate manufacturers, and global buyers to step up with concrete financial commitments.
“Compliance with new regulations must not become a tax on the poor. We need a fair, transparent pricing structure that reflects the true cost of sustainable production,” he said.
He also announced plans to advocate for investment in the domestic cocoa value chain, including local processing, value addition, and rehabilitation of diseased and moribund cocoa farms.
COCOBOD’s 80th anniversary
The 2027 Partnership Meeting will coincide with COCOBOD’s 80th anniversary, and Dr Abbey said a series of events would be organised to mark the milestone, with full participation of international partners.
He expressed profound gratitude to the World Cocoa Foundation for deciding on Accra as the venue, and commended the President of WCF, Mr Chris Vincent, the Country Director, and the entire team for supporting Ghana’s request.
The Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, who officially announced Ghana as host, urged organisers to take delegates from the Partnership Meeting to actual cocoa farming communities.
“Don’t concentrate in the background. Send all the participants to a cocoa farming community. Let them see for themselves the realities of what our cocoa farmers are going through. They will appreciate it better than watching videos on TikTok and other social media platforms,” he said.
Mr Ampem stressed that sustainability could no longer be treated as a side conversation, and that resilience could not be outsourced to farms.
“Government alone cannot secure the future of cocoa. The future of cocoa will require stronger partnerships between governments, industry, financial institutions, research organisations, civil society, and farming communities,” he stated.
He called for long-term investment, fairer value distribution, predictable market partnerships, and greater alignment between sustainability commitments and farmer realities.
Mr Ampem noted that producing countries would not remain at the bottom of the value chain while carrying the greatest production risk, and stressed the need for building greater local processing capacity and retaining more value within producing countries.
“Because producing countries will not remain at the bottom of the value chain while carrying the greatest production risk,” he emphasised.
The Deputy Minister officially declared Ghana as host of the 2027 World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting on behalf of the government, in partnership with WCF and COCOBOD.
Farmers
The Country Director of the World Cocoa Foundation for Ghana and Nigeria, Mr Mawuli Coffie, in his address, called for sustainability discussions to focus on supply chains and adequately address economics at the farm level.
He said decent and predictable income for cocoa farmers would enable them to invest in their farms, manage risks, and chart a pathway to prosperity.
“To ensure that cocoa farming remains attractive, we need stronger partnerships and collaborations between farmers and government to engender collective action to tackle the ills in the cocoa industry,” Mr Coffie said.
He added that the WCF remained resolute in safeguarding the lot of cocoa farmers.
“Ghana has played a leading role in the global cocoa sector, and we are proud that the international cocoa community will gather here in 2027 to help shape the sector’s future together,” he stated.
The 2027 WCF Partnership Meeting is expected to serve as a platform for building a new global compact for cocoa, rooted in farmer prosperity, shared responsibility, sustainability, resilience, innovation, and long-term value creation.