Accra: Traceability is critical to Ghana's competitiveness and access to premium international cocoa markets, Dr Wisdom Kofi Dogbey, Managing Director of the Cocoa Marketing Company (Ghana) Limited, has said. He highlighted the shifting dynamics in the global cocoa trade, emphasizing the importance of traceability alongside quality, volume, and price in determining market access and buyer preference.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr Dogbey explained that traceability involves tracking cocoa from production through the supply chain, supported by verifiable data on environmental compliance, labor standards, and land use. He noted that emerging regulations, particularly in the European Union, would limit market access for cocoa lacking traceability.
Dr Dogbey pointed out that non-traceable supply chains would see a narrowing market while verified, traceable cocoa would command premiums and preferred-partner status. He stressed that for processors and manufacturers, traceability has become a core supply chain requirement influencing sourcing decisions. An origin offering both quality and traceability becomes a preferred partner, whereas quality without traceability poses a risk.
Ghana, Dr Dogbey mentioned, has strong structural advantages such as a regulated supply chain, established quality assurance systems, and international credibility. However, these need to be translated into operational systems. He called for investment in digital systems, farmer-level data capture, inter-institutional coordination, and regulatory alignment to convert these structural assets into operational traceability infrastructure.
Dr Dogbey urged that the traceability agenda be seen as an opportunity for value creation and leadership in the global cocoa market, not just a compliance burden. He noted that countries leading in traceability will shape market requirements and attract sustainability-linked financing.
He also called for informed public discourse on issues such as data ownership, cost implications for smallholder farmers, and equitable sharing of compliance responsibilities. At the institutional level, the Cocoa Marketing Company is collaborating with stakeholders within the Ghana Cocoa Board ecosystem and international partners to develop scalable traceability systems.
Dr Dogbey emphasized the goal of positioning Ghana as a benchmark origin, with traceability credentials enhancing its market standing. He concluded that the future of cocoa trade would favor origins providing verifiable proof of production and supply, with those able to offer documented records leading the next chapter of global trade.