The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, together with the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has met cocoa processors and other key industry players in the cocoa sector as part of government’s ongoing engagements with strategic sectors of the economy.

The maiden meeting, held at the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry in Accra on Thursday, February 12, focused on government’s planned reforms in the cocoa sector and the readiness of local processors to expand value addition and domestic processing.

The engagement formed part of consultations aimed at ensuring that Ghana derives greater value from its cocoa resources through increased local processing, job creation and stronger industrial growth.

In her opening remarks, Ofosu-Adjare said government was committed to moving Ghana beyond the export of raw cocoa beans and ensuring that more of the commodity is processed locally to create jobs and improve incomes across the value chain.

“We are serious about value addition, the creation of jobs, and ensuring that farmers get better value for their wealth,” she stated. “It is our bid to add value to our raw materials and create jobs for the youth.”

She explained that strengthening domestic processing would boost industrial output, expand export earnings and contribute to a more resilient economy.

According to the Trade Minister, government’s planned reforms are expected to improve the performance of the cocoa sector and support broader economic stability, including efforts to strengthen the cedi.

“These reforms will make the economy stronger and also strengthen the cedi,” she said. “That is why we are engaging industry players in the cocoa sector to see how best we can address their challenges and also find out about their preparedness for the new reforms.”

She described the cocoa sector as a major pillar of Ghana’s economy, noting its long-standing contribution to national development and foreign exchange earnings.

She indicated that government’s reform agenda would be comprehensive and stakeholder-driven, adding that consultations with industry players were essential to ensure that the measures introduced address key challenges while improving efficiency and competitiveness.

“Government is going to roll out a comprehensive reform program for the cocoa sector. The sector has done so well in the Ghanaian economy, and we believe everyone will be happy to embrace the new direction,” she added.

The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, also reiterated government’s commitment to supporting policies that promote value addition, industrial growth and economic transformation, particularly within key export sectors such as cocoa.

Participants at the meeting included representatives of cocoa processing companies and other industry stakeholders, who shared perspectives on operational issues, capacity needs and areas where government support would be required to enable local processors to scale up.

The engagement is expected to inform government’s final policy direction as it prepares to implement reforms aimed at modernizing the cocoa sector, deepening local value addition and strengthening Ghana’s industrial base.