The Government of Ghana has announced a bold initiative to restore the country’s cocoa production to its historic peak of one million metric tonnes through the development of 200,000 hectares of large-scale cocoa plantations. The move, unveiled by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson at the inauguration of a new Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) leadership, is seen as a strategic response to the sector’s dramatic decline in recent years.
Ghana’s cocoa output has plunged to around 500,000 metric tonnes due to systemic inefficiencies, mismanagement, and the spread of crop diseases especially in the Western Region. The government’s plan includes rehabilitating affected farms and introducing scientifically guided disease control programs alongside the plantation drive.
The plantations, to be managed by COCOBOD, are intended to complement not replace the work of smallholder farmers, long regarded as the backbone of Ghana’s cocoa industry. Officials emphasized the dual role of the project: enhancing national output while sustaining rural livelihoods.
In a major governance reform, the new COCOBOD board will now include the Minister for Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana by law. Dr. Forson pledged full fiscal and strategic backing to COCOBOD, stressing the need for transparency, policy coherence, and institutional reform.
Dr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the newly appointed COCOBOD Chairman, outlined a forward-looking agenda focused on research, efficiency, and farmer support. The board aims to introduce innovative financing and strengthen ties with farmer cooperatives.
If successful, the initiative could re-establish Ghana as a global cocoa powerhouse, stabilize rural communities, and enhance foreign exchange revenues.