West and Central Africa’s four largest cocoa grower pledge to end raw bean exports - Trendtype Africa and Middle East
Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon, which together account for two-thirds of global cocoa production, have pledged to end raw cocoa exports, coordinate processing policy, harmonise industry standards and negotiate with international buyers as a single bloc.
Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon, which together account for two-thirds of global cocoa production, have pledged to end raw cocoa exports. The four countries have signed the Abuja Declaration on the 15thJuly 2026 at the Cocoa Value Addition Summit, which commits the four countries to ending raw bean exports, coordinating processing policy, harmonising industry standards and negotiating with international buyers as a single bloc. On 16th June 2026, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, which together supply close to 60% of global cocoa, renewed their bilateral cocoa initiative at a summit in Abidjan. Presidents Mahama and Ouattara agreed to open the pact to other African producers. On 15th July at the summit in Abuja, the pact expanded from two countries to four, with Nigeria and Cameroon joining. The summit, themed “From Bean to Brand,” was convened by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment with the Bank of Industry as co-convener. The initiative is backed by a €85m (US$97m) long-term loan facility from the European Investment Bank. Africa produces roughly 70% of the world’s cocoa but earns less than 10% of value of the $130bn global chocolate sector. The vast majority of beans leave Africa raw and are processed in Europe and North America, where the value is added. The four countries also adopted a common position on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which takes effect for large and medium-sized operators on 30th December 2026, seeking recognition of their national traceability systems and opposing the transfer of compliance costs to smallholder farmers. Ghana is tackling the demand side first. Prior to the summit, on 7th July, Ghana’s Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) signed offtake commitments with buyers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia for semi-finished cocoa products including cocoa liquor, butter, cake and powder, securing Gulf demand for Ghanaian processed cocoa before the political declaration was signed. President Mahama has set a target of processing 50% of Ghana’s cocoa locally. The country already has grinding capacity but much of it runs underutilised because processors lack guaranteed buyers. CMC’s Gulf offtake deals are designed to close that gap by locking in demand before production ramps up. The Gulf is a deliberate diversification away from Europe, reducing Ghana’s exposure to the EUDR and to European grinders who have historically captured most of the processing margin. Nigeria is taking a different approach. At the summit, President Tinubu declared that Nigeria would stop exporting raw cocoa beans. Nigeria produces roughly 250,000 to 350,000 tonnes annually but has grinding capacity of only 120,000 to 150,000 tonnes. Investors are building a 70,000-tonne facility in Sagamu, Ogun State, scheduled for commissioning in 2027. The Bank of Industry has committed capital. Nigeria also signed a domestic Cocoa Value Addition Accord at the summit, binding the federal government, cocoa-producing state governors, farmer organisations and development financiers to measurable annual targets. But Nigeria has a direct precedent for how export bans play out when capacity is insufficient. When it banned raw shea nut exports in August 2025, prices crashed 33% within three days. Processing facilities could not absorb the surplus. Stockpiles mounted and exporters defaulted on bank loans. Women farmers lost up to half their income. The government extended the ban for another year in February 2026, arguing the short-term pain was necessary to force investment into processing. That investment has not yet arrived at scale. Cocoa is a larger crop with the same capacity shortfall. There is very little indigenous chocolate manufacturing in any of the four West and Central African growers. The pledge to end raw cocoa exports is unlikely to succeed in the short term nor is it realistically intended to do so. It is best read as a statement of intent, a policy position, and a direct message to major chocolate manufacturers that unless they move production closer to where cocoa is grown, the four major cocoa producers in Africa will look to disrupt the status quo and prioritise deals that keep more value locally. Although Barry Callebaut has major processing operations in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Cameroon, the only major chocolate manufacturer with operations in any of the four major cocoa growers in Africa is Ferrero, via its IMSOFAR subsidiary in Cameroon. Mars, which now owns Kellanova (which has a major JV in Nigeria with Tolaram), Nestlé (whose West African manufacturing hub is in Côte d’Ivoire), and Mondelez (which has a local subsidiary in Nigeria with Cadbury Nigeria) all potentially have routes to more localised manufacturing for chocolate but do not do so yet.