Ghana and World’s largest cocoa-producing nation agree on new pricing strategy to boost farmers' earnings

• Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire agreed to harmonise cocoa pricing policies to improve farmer earnings and strengthen market stability.

• The two countries pledged to increase cocoa processing, expand regional trade, and place farmers at the centre of the cocoa value chain.

• Both nations also agreed to strengthen cooperation on cocoa disease control and expand their joint cocoa initiative to other African countries.

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The agreement was reached during the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana High-Level Summit on the Future of the Cocoa Economy held in Abidjan on 16 June 2026, where President John Dramani Mahama and President Alassane Ouattara issued a joint declaration outlining a new roadmap for the cocoa sector.

The two leaders said they had renewed their commitment to building "a sustainable cocoa economy, placing the farmer at the center of priorities for sector governance and value sharing."

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As part of the agreement, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire will "harmonise farm-gate price policies to optimise producer remuneration, stabilise the market and strengthen their commercial cooperation" through measures including market synergy, alignment of premiums, and harmonisation of crop-season calendars.

The two countries, which together account for about 60% of global cocoa production, said fair compensation for cocoa farmers remains essential to the long-term sustainability of the industry.

They further agreed to "guarantee producers fair and decent remuneration and place them at the heart of the cocoa value chain."

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The summit reviewed progress made under existing cooperation frameworks, including the establishment of the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI), the introduction of the Living Income Differential (LID), harmonised producer price announcements, cocoa traceability systems, and joint efforts to combat Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD).

Despite these gains, the two leaders acknowledged that the sector continues to face significant challenges, including price volatility, illegal mining, climate change, increasing use of cocoa substitutes, and growing international sustainability requirements.

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To address these concerns, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire pledged to deepen scientific cooperation, particularly in tackling cocoa diseases, while also increasing local processing capacity and promoting regional trade and consumption of cocoa products.

The two countries also announced plans to expand the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative to other African cocoa-producing nations to strengthen regional cooperation and improve Africa's bargaining power in the global cocoa market.

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The declaration noted that although Africa produces about 80% of the world's cocoa, it continues to receive only a small share of the value generated across the global cocoa-chocolate supply chain.