In a major shift for the country’s agricultural sector, Ghana has finalized expansive export agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to supply high-value, semi-finished cocoa products.
Moving aggressively beyond the traditional export of raw commodity beans, the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) Ghana Limited secured the firm offtake commitments on July 7, 2026, creating a direct economic pipeline to the Middle East.
The new trade agreements focus heavily on key processed outputs, including cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa cake, and cocoa powder. By securing these high-growth consumer markets, Ghana aims to unlock the full potential of its domestic processing factories, shielding local industries from the volatility of raw global commodity pricing.
The strategic breakthrough was achieved during a high-level trade mission led by the Managing Director of the CMC, Dr. Wisdom Dogbey. The delegation targeted lucrative hubs in the Middle East to guarantee sustainable demand for Ghana’s domestic processing facilities.
Speaking on the milestone, Dr. Wisdom Dogbey emphasized the transformative nature of these new trade routes.
“The engagements were intentionally focused on expanding market access for our locally processed cocoa products and strengthening Ghana’s presence in key international commodity markets,” Dr. Dogbey stated. “Securing reliable international demand for semi-finished cocoa products is critical to promoting value addition, reducing reliance on exports of raw cocoa beans, and enhancing returns from Ghana’s cocoa industry.”
During their visit to Dubai, the CMC delegation held extensive bilateral discussions with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC). The goal of these sessions was to utilize Dubai’s infrastructure to seamlessly connect Ghanaian cocoa with processors, manufacturers, and traders spanning the Middle East and wider Asia.
Following the success in the UAE, the delegation advanced to Riyadh, where they secured direct supply commitments to Saudi Arabia. The Gulf kingdom’s confectionery and food-processing industries are currently booming under its Vision 2030 economic diversification blueprint.
A representative from the Cocoa Marketing Company highlighted how this alignment with Gulf economic plans creates a win-win scenario.
“In Riyadh, we secured commitments to supply premium Ghanaian cocoa products to Saudi Arabia, where demand is expected to grow exponentially alongside the country’s expanding confectionery industry under its Vision 2030 programme,” the CMC stated in an official release. “These agreements represent an important milestone in our strategy to diversify Ghana’s cocoa markets and ensure that investments in local processing are backed by sustainable global demand.”
The newly tapped markets are expected to heavily accelerate the Ghanaian government’s long-standing policy objective of processing at least 50 percent of all locally grown cocoa beans within the country’s borders. For years, domestic processing plants have operated under capacity due to volatile international market links for finished goods.
Reaffirming the company’s forward-looking mandate, the CMC leadership noted that this is just the beginning of a larger campaign to reshape global agricultural trade.
“The company remains firmly committed to building new markets for Ghanaian cocoa products and strengthening the country’s position in the global cocoa value chain,” the CMC statement concluded. “This new market opportunity will directly support the utilization of domestic processing capacity and ensure we retain the true wealth of our harvest at home.”
