Accra: Dr Mawuli Cofie, Country Director of the World Cocoa Foundation, has announced that Ghana will host the 2027 World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting, highlighting the country's leadership in global cocoa production. The meeting, scheduled for March 16 to 18, 2027, in Accra, will center on the theme 'From Origin to Global Resilience,' focusing on the contributions of producing countries and farming communities to the future resilience of the global cocoa economy.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr Cofie remarked that the global cocoa sector is currently facing significant challenges, including climate change, crop diseases like Cocoa Swollen Shoot Viral Disease (CSSVD), production risks, and economic uncertainty. These challenges threaten farmer livelihoods and long-term supply security. He emphasized the need for resilient cocoa supply chains, which can only be achieved through resilient farmers, and pointed out that sustainability efforts should focus on improving farm-level economics, ensuring decent and predictable incomes, expanding access to finance, increasing productivity, and creating opportunities for young people in cocoa farming.
Dr Cofie called for enhanced collaboration among governments, industry players, research institutions, financial partners, and development organizations to tackle disease outbreaks, improve governance, finance farm rehabilitation, and support sustainable cocoa production. He stated that the 2027 Partnership Meeting will serve as a platform for practical discussions on farmer livelihoods, climate resilience, disease control, and the long-term sustainability of cocoa production. Hosting the meeting in Ghana underscores the importance of shaping global cocoa resilience close to the farming communities where cocoa is produced.
Dr Randy Abbey, CEO of Ghana Cocoa Board, expressed gratitude to the Foundation for selecting Accra as the host city for the Partnership Meeting. He described this opportunity as a significant milestone for Ghana and the cocoa sector. Dr Abbey highlighted the critical stage of the global cocoa industry due to climate change, swollen shoot disease, rising production costs, and price volatility, which continue to threaten cocoa farms and farmer livelihoods despite the multi-billion-dollar value of the global chocolate industry.
Dr Abbey emphasized that sustainability must extend beyond environmental concerns to focus on improving the welfare and incomes of cocoa farmers. He noted that Ghana is investing in climate-smart agriculture, traceability systems, and measures to enhance quality and sustainability standards within the sector. The government is also striving to restore financial stability in the cocoa sector while advocating for fairer pricing structures and increased local value addition to ensure producing countries retain greater value from cocoa production.
The 2027 Partnership Meeting will provide Ghana with a platform to advocate for stronger commitments from international partners, cocoa buyers, and chocolate manufacturers towards farmer support, disease rehabilitation, and sustainable production. The event will coincide with the 80th anniversary of COCOBOD and Ghana's 70th independence anniversary, marking it as a landmark occasion for both Ghana and the global cocoa industry.