Cocoa is the lifeblood of the Ghanaian economy, and a source of pride for a nation whose rich, fertile soils have nourished generations of farmers. With an estimated annual worth of $2 billion, cocoa stands as Ghana’s economic mainstay, feeding families and funding government expenditure.

Yet, behind this powerful industry lies a less talked-about truth: cocoa farming is physically gruelling, especially during post-harvest. Farmers, armed with machetes and bare hands, face long hours of repetitive labour as they crack open thousands of cocoa pods manually.

This is an exhausting and hazardous task that leaves many with injuries, fatigue, and limited yield. According to some researchers, about 75% of cocoa farmers suffer various hazards during post-harvest activities. This is the problem Husk Technologies, a Ghanaian agritech company, has set out to solve.

Founded by Nii Arday Ardayfio, Husk Technologies has developed a lithium-powered, automatic mobile cocoa pod-breaking machine that breaks the pods and separates the beans from the husk and placenta. This delivers precision, speed, and safety that traditional methods simply cannot match.

“We are able to increase (farmers’) productivity by over 700%, reduce reliance on labour by over 85%, and totally eliminate any forms of hazards,” he explained.

“Because our machines are mobile and they can get on the farm, we also plant economic trees on the farms for the farmers so they can make additional income,” he added.

The machine, which can break up to 7,200 cocoa pods per hour, is mobile, lightweight, eco-friendly, efficient, and easy to transport and operate. “The Husk Gen 3 model has a wider feeding unit and so you can pour more pods into the machine at a time. It also has a faster and safer crushing mechanism. Because it is lightweight, it can be transported on a tricycle,” he explained. “By powering our machine with lithium batteries, we are introducing the next generation of eco-friendly farm machinery, making us the pace setters in the industry,” Mr. Ardayfio added.

Scaling an innovation

Their impact has already been recognised nationally. Husk Technologies was crowned winner of the maiden National Innovation Challenge, organised by the National Entrepreneurship Innovation Programme (NEIP) in partnership with the Ministry of Finance. Now, the company is looking to scale.

Mr. Ardayfio told the AGRA Ghana Deal Room pitching session in Accra that the company has a target to reach over 100,000 farmers and create 1,000 new jobs for rural women and youth. Husk Technologies is currently seeking $250,000 in grants and equity funding to expand operations, deepen research, and increase market awareness.

AGRA Ghana, under the Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture (YEFFA) program, organised the high-impact Deal Room event in partnership with the Kosmos Innovation Centre (KIC). This Deal Room serves as a platform for promising agribusinesses led by youth and women agripreneurs to connect with investors, buyers, and ecosystem enablers, thereby catalysing their growth and sustainability.

Participants pitched for opportunities to represent Ghana at the continental AGRA Deal Room sessions during the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Dakar, Senegal, between August 31 and September 4, 2025, where they could have access to more funding opportunities.

The Husks Technologies CEO is one of 15 agripreneurs who pitched at the AGRA Ghana Deal Room event. AGRA is an Africa-led organisation transforming agri-food systems on the continent by empowering smallholder farmers.

Call to action

As Ghana continues to lead the global cocoa industry, innovations like Husk Technologies’ automated pod-breaker show that the country's greatest strength lies not only in its natural resources but also in its homegrown solutions. With the right support, Husk Technologies may just be the spark that reshapes the future of cocoa in Ghana, one pod at a time.

Government should prioritise the mechanisation of post-harvest activities by integrating innovations like Husk Technologies’ cocoa pod-breaking machine into national agricultural modernisation programs and subsidy schemes.

The company and similar organisations deserve tax breaks, import duty waivers on components, and startup grants to scale up. COCOBOD could partner directly with Husk Technologies to further pilot the equipment across cocoa-growing regions and integrate it into extension and input distribution systems.

There is a need for the creation of an enabling policy framework for agro-mechanisation by recognising such mobile farm technologies as public goods that should reach all cocoa-growing communities across the country.