By Adnan Adams Mohammed
Ghana’s drive to transform its cocoa sector from exporting raw beans to local processing has received a major boost, following a high-level strategic meeting between the management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and an Italian investment delegation led by the Italian Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Laura Ranalli.
The delegation included top executives from BF International, Italy’s largest agricultural group with an expanding operational footprint across Africa. The meeting sought to explore key investment avenues and cement partnerships within Ghana’s agricultural sector.
The “Cocoa Connect Initiative”
Briefing the leadership of COCOBOD, Ambassador Ranalli highlighted Italy’s commitment to spearheading new industrial partnerships between the Italian agribusiness community and Ghana.
Central to the discussions was the proposed “Cocoa Connect Initiative,” a collaborative framework designed to unite public, private, and scientific institutions to transition Ghana’s cocoa industry beyond raw bean exports into high-value semi-finished and finished chocolate products.
“My outfit is fully prepared to spearhead these new partnerships between the Italian agribusiness community and COCOBOD,” H.E. Ranalli stated during the briefing. “Through the ‘Cocoa Connect Initiative,’ we aim to unite our public, private, and scientific institutions to ensure we move Ghana’s cocoa industry beyond raw bean exports and directly into high-value semi-finished and finished products.”
A flagship feature of the initiative is a proposed 3,000-hectare mechanized cocoa development zone in Ghana. The state-of-the-art facility, to be established by BF International, will serve as the technological engine powering the project’s broader processing and export goals.
COCOBOD Pledges Full Institutional Backing
Responding to the proposal, the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Dr. Ransford Anertey Abbey, expressed strong enthusiasm for the venture, affirming the Board’s readiness to provide technical, agronomic, and institutional backing to bring the project to fruition.
“Local value addition sits at the very heart of Ghana’s cocoa transformation agenda,” Dr. Abbey emphasized. “We welcome BF International’s desire to invest directly within our economy. Both Ghana and Italy stand to leverage our respective strengths to expand our global market share while significantly boosting our local processing capacities.”
Dr. Abbey assured the Italian delegation that COCOBOD would deploy a specialized team of experts to ensure the smooth rollout of the technology-driven farm.
“I want to assure the delegation that a dedicated team of COCOBOD experts will support this investment every step of the way with top-tier research, agronomy, and all necessary technical services,” the Chief Executive added.
The partnership represents a significant step in Ghana’s ongoing efforts to retain greater value from its cocoa production, modernize farming practices through technology, and deepen bilateral trade relations with Italy.
