Italy is seeking to deepen investment in Ghana's cocoa sector with a proposal to establish a 3,000-hectare mechanised cocoa development zone as part of efforts to expand local processing and value addition.

The proposal was presented when the Italian Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Laura Ranalli, led a delegation of prospective investors from BF International—Italy's largest agricultural group with operations across Africa—to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to explore strategic areas of cooperation.

Addressing the management of COCOBOD, Ambassador Ranalli said Italy is committed to building stronger partnerships with Ghana's cocoa sector through what has been dubbed the Cocoa Connect Initiative.

According to her, the initiative is designed to bring together public, private and scientific institutions to transform Ghana's cocoa industry from one centred on raw bean exports to one that produces semi-finished and finished chocolate products.

"We are ready to facilitate new partnerships between the Italian agribusiness community and COCOBOD to promote Ghana's cocoa industry.

Through the Cocoa Connect Initiative, we want to support Ghana in moving beyond the export of raw cocoa beans to the production of semi-finished and finished chocolate products," Ambassador Ranalli said.

She explained that the proposed 3,000-hectare mechanised cocoa development zone would serve as the foundation for technology-driven cocoa production and industrial processing.

Responding to the proposal, the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Dr Ransford Anertey Abbey, welcomed the initiative and assured the delegation of the board's full institutional support.

"COCOBOD is ready to provide full institutional, agronomic and technical support for the establishment of the proposed mechanised cocoa development zone," he stated.

Dr Abbey commended BF International's decision to invest directly in Ghana's cocoa sector, describing the partnership as a significant opportunity to strengthen the country's position in the global cocoa value chain.

He stressed that expanding local processing remains a key priority for COCOBOD and the government.

"Local value addition remains at the heart of Ghana's cocoa transformation agenda.

We will constitute a specialised team of COCOBOD experts to provide the research, agronomic and technical support required to make this investment successful," he added.

The proposed partnership is expected to combine Italy's expertise in agribusiness and technology with Ghana's position as one of the world's leading cocoa producers, with the aim of increasing local processing, creating jobs and enhancing the value of Ghana's cocoa exports.