Dangote Has Reached Out To Use Ghana As A local Processing Hub – Ato Forson
Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has disclosed that Dangote has expressed interest in using Ghana as a centre for cocoa processing, with discussions ongoing over a proposed agreement involving 500,000 metric tonnes of cocoa.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday after presenting the 2027 Budget to Parliament, Dr Forson said the proposed arrangement could support the government’s efforts to increase local cocoa processing and retain more value from the commodity.
“Dangote has reached out to use Ghana as a hub to process cocoa locally.”
He explained that the terms of the proposed agreement were still being reviewed, indicating that no contract had been finalised.
“We are going through the terms, and they want to sign a contract.”
The minister’s disclosure comes as the government pursues plans to process 50 per cent of Ghana’s cocoa locally by 2028 and increase the figure to 100 per cent by 2030.
Dr Forson said Ghana must move away from relying heavily on the export of raw cocoa beans for processing in other countries, stressing the need to develop the country’s local processing capacity.
He recounted his recent visit to Bangkok for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings, where he observed various products made from cocoa. He said the experience highlighted the opportunities Ghana could explore by adding more value to its cocoa locally.
He encouraged companies interested in purchasing Ghana’s cocoa to consider processing the beans within the country rather than exporting them in their raw state.
“We are not saying don’t come and buy our cocoa beans, but if you are a company out there, come and buy our cocoa beans, but add value here in Ghana.”
On whether the government intends to introduce legislation to enforce local processing, Dr Forson said a new Cocoa Board Act currently before Parliament includes a mandatory requirement for local processing.
He added that a legislative instrument (LI) would provide the framework and timeline for achieving the government’s processing targets.
“The LI that will back it will specify that by 2030, by 2030 move from 50 to 100 per cent.”
Beyond cocoa, Dr Forson said the government was also working towards modernising agriculture to increase domestic food production and reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported food.
He noted that the country had the necessary land, water resources and human capacity to expand agricultural production but needed to move away from traditional peasant farming methods.
According to him, Ghana spends billions of dollars annually importing food items that could be produced locally.
“We spend about 3.5 billion United States dollars yearly to bring foodstuffs into our country. It cannot continue.”
He questioned why the country continued to import commodities such as palm oil, sugar, rice and poultry despite having the potential to produce more of them locally.
The minister also identified opportunities to increase the production of maize and soybean for poultry feed, alongside expanding vegetable cultivation.
He maintained that modernising the country’s agricultural sector was necessary to strengthen local production and reduce dependence on food imports.
