Ghana targets 100% local cocoa processing by 2030 as govt plans end to raw bean exports

Ghana is targeting the local processing of all its cocoa production by 2030 as the government moves to retain more value from the country's cocoa industry and reduce dependence on raw bean exports.

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson announced the ambitious target while presenting the 2027 Budget Statement to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, 2026.

Under the government's plan, Ghana aims to process at least 50 per cent of its cocoa locally by the end of 2028 before increasing the figure to 100 per cent by 2030.

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The policy is expected to mark a major shift in the country's cocoa trade, with the government seeking to move away from exporting raw cocoa beans towards processing the commodity locally and generating more economic benefits at home.

Presenting the policy direction to Parliament, Dr Forson said the target would complete Ghana's transition towards ending raw cocoa exports.

“Ghana will process at least 50% of its cocoa locally by the end of 2028 and 100% by 2030, completing the transition towards a ban on raw cocoa exports,” he stated.

The Finance Minister stressed that Ghana, as one of the world's leading cocoa-producing countries, should retain a greater share of the economic benefits generated from the commodity rather than allowing most of the value to be created after the beans leave the country.

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“The country that grows the bean must retain a far greater share of the industry built around it,” Dr Forson told Parliament.

Government seeks to expand local value addition

The proposed cocoa processing target forms part of the government's broader efforts to strengthen domestic production, expand local industries and create more economic opportunities through value addition.

Rather than relying heavily on the export of unprocessed agricultural commodities, the government wants more of Ghana's produce to be processed within the country before reaching consumers and international markets.

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Dr Forson illustrated this approach with the government's vision for locally produced food and agricultural products.

“The rice on the Ghanaian table should increasingly come from a Ghanaian field, pass through a Ghanaian mill and support Ghanaian work,” he said.

Achieving the cocoa target will require Ghana to expand its domestic processing capacity to handle a significantly larger share of the beans produced locally.

If implemented successfully, the plan would see Ghana move towards processing its entire cocoa output domestically by 2030, representing a major change in how the country participates in the global cocoa industry.