Ghana explores partnership with Swiss government to boost value of raw cocoa beans

• Ghana is exploring avenues to increase the value of raw cocoa beans

• To achieve this, Government aims to have a partnership agreement with the Swizz government

• The move is expected to improve cocoa production, cocoa processing and farmers livelihood

Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Herbert Krapa has said Ghana is exploring a collaboration with the Swiss government to boost the value of cocoa production.

According to him, the partnership agreement will aid towards minimizing the export of raw cocoa beans and cocoa products.

Speaking during a cocktail event organised at the Swiss Residence in Accra, the deputy trade minister said the move is expected to also enhance the livelihood of cocoa farmers in Ghana.

He added that as part of the Cocoa Sustainability Initiative, government plans to rope in one of Switzerland’s major chocolate manufacturers, Halba to commence full-scale processing with the premise of boosting the cocoa value chain and industry.

“They [Halba] import significant amounts of cocoa beans to Switzerland for processing. We think that it is important to continue that partnership and, with time, see how it is feasible to get them to start full-scale processing in Accra,” Krapa told Citi Business News.

“President Akufo-Addo has a vision to ensure that majority of cocoa that we harvest and produce here in Ghana is processed right here so that we can have the jobs created, economic benefits, and skills transfer and inclusive economic growth that the President has set to achieve for the Ghanaian people,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ghana has been ramping up efforts in increasing domestic cocoa processing. Ghana in the year 2019 increased the processing of raw cocoa beans from 200,000 tonnes to 400,000 tonnes.

Ivory Coast and Ghana account for almost 60% of world supplies for cocoa beans.