Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana strengthen commitment to sustainable cocoa farming
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana strengthen commitment to sustainable cocoa farming
President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire and his Ghanaian counterpart John Dramani Mahama co-chaired a high-level summit on the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana cocoa initiative at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan-Plateau. The two heads of state took structural decisions to build a fairer, stronger, and more sustainable cocoa economy for the benefit of producers, the economies of both nations, and the African continent. These include harmonizing farm-gate price policies, enhancing value addition, and expanding this strategic initiative to other African countries.
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the world’s top cocoa producers, reaffirmed their joint determination to defend the interests of their farmers and to build a more prosperous and sustainable future for the African cocoa sector.
President Ouattara expressed satisfaction, noting that the summit demonstrated the strong bonds of friendship, fraternity, and cooperation between the two countries in service of Africa’s development.
During the opening ceremony, Ouattara stressed that cocoa is a major issue for mobilizing resources for development policies in both countries, as well as a social and sovereignty matter. The sector, with Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana providing 60% of global production and Africa 80%, sustains millions of people.
Ouattara highlighted the central role of the farmer: ‘At the heart of this sector is an essential actor: the farmer. It is he who, through his daily work, feeds the global chocolate industry. He gives the sector its strength, legitimacy, and future. The farmer must remain at the center of all our decisions.’
He welcomed progress since the Abidjan Declaration of March 26, 2018, when the two countries decided to join forces to influence cocoa prices. The introduction of a decent income differential has improved farmers’ remuneration and shown that concerted action can positively affect global price formation.
Ouattara also outlined remaining challenges: price volatility, climate change impacts, aging orchards, cocoa diseases, land pressure from illegal gold mining, the emergence of substitute products, and international, particularly European, sustainability standards.
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the world’s top cocoa producers, reaffirmed their joint determination to defend the interests of their farmers and to build a more prosperous and sustainable future for the African cocoa sector.
President Ouattara expressed satisfaction, noting that the summit demonstrated the strong bonds of friendship, fraternity, and cooperation between the two countries in service of Africa’s development.
During the opening ceremony, Ouattara stressed that cocoa is a major issue for mobilizing resources for development policies in both countries, as well as a social and sovereignty matter. The sector, with Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana providing 60% of global production and Africa 80%, sustains millions of people.
Ouattara highlighted the central role of the farmer: ‘At the heart of this sector is an essential actor: the farmer. It is he who, through his daily work, feeds the global chocolate industry. He gives the sector its strength, legitimacy, and future. The farmer must remain at the center of all our decisions.’
He welcomed progress since the Abidjan Declaration of March 26, 2018, when the two countries decided to join forces to influence cocoa prices. The introduction of a decent income differential has improved farmers’ remuneration and shown that concerted action can positively affect global price formation.
Ouattara also outlined remaining challenges: price volatility, climate change impacts, aging orchards, cocoa diseases, land pressure from illegal gold mining, the emergence of substitute products, and international, particularly European, sustainability standards.
President Mahama praised the success of Ivorian-Ghanaian cocoa cooperation and expressed hope for even better outcomes. He emphasized the goal of ’empowering farmers and giving them all the means to continue production.’
Mahama stated that both parties commit to exchanging and implementing best practices, injecting more financing into the sector. He also stressed the need for Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to bring other African producer countries into a policy of significant and continuous presence in the global market.