Cocoa-producing countries in Africa have exhibited investment opportunities emerging from ongoing sector reforms with a call for greater private capital to support processing, productivity, sustainability and value addition across the cocoa value chain.
The dialogue, known as the Africa Cocoa Finance and Investment Forum (ACFIF), which took place in New York in the USA, was organised by Cocoa Trade and Invest Africa, a premier global platform for connecting high-level investors, governments and producers across cocoa value chains.
It brought together senior government officials, financiers, commodity traders, processors, investors and development partners from Africa, Europe and North America.
The discussions focused on new financing models, industrialisation, sustainability, and opportunities for greater private-sector participation across the cocoa value chain, and also reflected on a growing determination among producing countries to capture more value beyond the export of raw beans.
The participants during the sessions examined opportunities in processing, sustainable production, farm rehabilitation, climate-smart agriculture, supply chain infrastructure, technology and manufacturing.
There were presentations from investment specialists, market experts and private-sector leaders, which focused on identifying commercially viable projects capable of attracting long-term capital.
Private capital
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Ransford Anertey Abbey, who was a panel member, highlighted prospects in cocoa financing, processing, farm rehabilitation, climate-smart agriculture, value addition, the launch of Cocoa Capital PLC and a GH¢16.3 billion securities programme designed to attract private capital into the sector.
Dr Abbey told investors that Ghana’s new regulatory framework had created a more transparent and investment-friendly environment with incentives to support domestic processing, productivity growth, and sustainable expansion across the cocoa value chain.
The Permanent Representative of Côte d’Ivoire to International Commodity Organisations and Spokesperson for cocoa-producing countries at the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO), Aly Touré, called for stronger partnerships to ensure producing nations secured a greater share of global cocoa revenues.
For his part, the Lead Convener of ACFIF and Director of Cocoa Trade and Invest Africa, Fuad Abubakar Mohammed, said: “We convened ACFIF in New York to connect capital with opportunity, and the response exceeded expectations”.
He said the level of participation, the quality of the dialogue, and the interest shown by investors confirmed that Africa and its cocoa sector were increasingly being viewed as an investment destination rather than simply a source of raw commodities.
He also observed that one of the forum’s most significant outcomes was the growing consensus that investment, rather than aid, would drive the next phase of growth in Africa’s cocoa economy.
“What emerged from New York was a shared recognition that the opportunities are real, the reforms are underway, and the appetite for partnership is growing,” Mr Mohammed indicated, saying that the challenge now was to translate investor interests into concrete projects, which expanded processing capacity, increased productivity, strengthened sustainability, and improved value retention within producing countries.
Investment opportunities
The Managing Member of Veriground LLC, Steven Haws, who presented a paper, highlighted investment opportunities across Africa’s cocoa value chain, while the President of the Institute for Cacao and Chocolate Research, Dr Carla Martin, also provided insights into opportunities within the rapidly growing US speciality cocoa and chocolate market.
