Ghana has been selected to host the 2027 World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Partnership Meeting, a recognition of the country’s leadership in global cocoa production and its central role in efforts to build a more resilient and sustainable cocoa industry.
The international gathering, scheduled for March 16–18, 2027, in Accra, will bring together leaders from across the global cocoa and chocolate value chain to address growing challenges facing the sector, including climate change, crop diseases, rising production costs and farmer livelihoods.
Speaking at the announcement of the event, Dr. Mawuli Cofie, Country Director of the World Cocoa Foundation, said Ghana’s selection reflects both its importance in global cocoa production and the contribution of cocoa-growing communities to sustaining the industry.
He noted that the cocoa sector is facing mounting pressures from climate change, production risks, economic uncertainty and diseases such as Cocoa Swollen Shoot Viral Disease (CSSVD), all of which threaten farmer incomes and the long-term security of global cocoa supplies.
The 2027 meeting will be held under the theme, “From Origin to Global Resilience,” highlighting the importance of cocoa-producing countries and farming communities in shaping the future of the global cocoa economy.
According to Dr. Cofie, building resilient cocoa supply chains begins with improving the resilience of farmers themselves.
He stressed that sustainability initiatives must focus more deliberately on strengthening farm-level economics through better incomes, access to finance, higher productivity and opportunities that encourage young people to remain in cocoa farming.
“Resilient supply chains can only be achieved through resilient farmers,” he said, adding that stronger partnerships among governments, industry players, financial institutions, researchers and development organisations would be necessary to address disease outbreaks, support farm rehabilitation and improve sector governance.
Dr. Cofie explained that the Accra meeting would serve as a platform for practical discussions on climate resilience, farmer livelihoods, disease management and strategies to secure the long-term sustainability of cocoa production worldwide.
He said hosting the Partnership Meeting in Ghana for the first time would allow global stakeholders to engage directly with cocoa-growing communities and better understand the realities confronting producers at the source of the value chain.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Randy Abbey, welcomed the decision to hold the event in Accra, describing it as a major milestone for both Ghana and the country’s cocoa industry.
He said the global cocoa sector is at a critical juncture, with climate change, swollen shoot disease, volatile prices and increasing production costs posing serious threats to cocoa farms and farmer livelihoods despite the enormous value generated by the global chocolate market.
Dr. Abbey argued that sustainability discussions must extend beyond environmental considerations to include measures that improve the living standards and earnings of cocoa farmers.
He highlighted ongoing investments by Ghana in climate-smart agriculture, cocoa traceability systems and initiatives aimed at strengthening quality assurance and sustainability standards across the sector.
The COCOBOD Chief Executive also disclosed that government efforts are underway to restore financial stability within the cocoa industry while advocating fairer pricing mechanisms and greater local value addition to ensure producing countries capture a larger share of the value created from cocoa.
He said the 2027 Partnership Meeting would provide Ghana with an important opportunity to push for stronger commitments from international development partners, cocoa buyers and chocolate manufacturers towards farmer support programmes, rehabilitation of disease-affected farms and sustainable cocoa production.
Beyond its economic significance, the event is expected to carry symbolic importance for the country. The meeting will coincide with the 80th anniversary of COCOBOD and Ghana’s 70th Independence Anniversary, making it a landmark occasion for both the nation’s cocoa sector and the global industry.
Industry stakeholders expect the conference to generate renewed momentum for collaborative action to secure the future of cocoa production while improving the livelihoods of millions of farmers who depend on the crop.
