Chief of Staff Julius Debrah Demands End to Chocolate Imports | Discuss Ghana

On Friday, April 3, 2026, during the opening session of the 2026 Kwahu Business Forum at the Mpraeso Kwahu Business Village, the Chief of Staff, Hon. Julius Debrah, issued a strong call for industrial transformation, stating that Ghana can no longer justify exporting raw cocoa beans only to import finished chocolate products.

His remarks align with a new Cabinet directive aimed at shifting Ghana from a raw-material exporter to a value-addition powerhouse under the "National Reset" economic agenda.

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The "Cocoa Paradox"

Addressing over 1,000 business executives and policymakers, the Chief of Staff highlighted the economic imbalance in the cocoa sector:

The Core Statement:

“We can’t continue to produce cocoa and import chocolate. It is time we stopped exporting raw cocoa beans and instead processed them fully in Ghana to maximize value, create jobs, and strengthen our economy.” — Hon. Julius Debrah.

Industrialization Gap: He noted that while Ghana is the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, it captures only a small fraction of the multi-billion dollar global chocolate market because the majority of processing happens in Europe and Asia.

• Job Creation: Debrah argued that by moving toward 100% local processing, Ghana could generate thousands of "decent work" opportunities for the youth in rural and urban areas alike.

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New Policy Directives for 2026/2027

To back this vision, the government has introduced several structural reforms:

50% Processing Mandate: Starting from the 2026/2027 season, at least 50% of all cocoa beans harvested in Ghana must be processed domestically.

Import Restrictions: The government is considering "calibrated tariffs" and regulatory measures to discourage the importation of processed cocoa goods, fruit juices, and other agro-based products that can be manufactured locally.

Support for CPC: The state-owned Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) is being positioned as the central hub for this local processing drive, receiving specialized funding to upgrade its machinery.

1D1F Integration: Existing factories under the One District One Factory program are being audited to see which can immediately pivot to cocoa powder, butter, and cosmetic production.

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Ghana’s Cocoa Landscape (2026)

Metric	Status / Value
Current Global Rank	2nd Largest Producer.
Producer Price (25/26)	GH¢51,660 per tonne (70% of Gross FOB).
Global Price Context	Surplus of 250,000 tonnes expected in 25/26 season.
Processing Goal	50% Domestic Processing by 2027.

"The development of every nation is anchored on the strength of its private sector. If we want to be an industrial powerhouse, we must support our own to turn our raw gold (cocoa) into finished gold (chocolate)." — Julius Debrah.