The Global President of the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COFAAA), Comrade Adeola Adegoke, has issued a strong call for urgent and united action to transform Africa’s cocoa industry from raw-bean dependency into a prosperous, value-driven sector.
Speaking at the African Cocoa Summit and Awards 2025 at the University of Ghana, Legon, Comrade Adegoke described the gathering as “a historic convergence of voices, a call for unity, and a solemn moment of truth for Africa’s cocoa sector.” The two-day summit was organised by COFAAA in partnership with the Cocoa Roundtable Initiative (CORI) under the theme, “Building Sustainable Africa Cocoa Ecosystem: Unlocking Economic Potentials, Driving Inclusive Growth.”
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Adegoke stressed that Africa must break away from its long-standing role as an exporter of raw cocoa beans and transition into a producer of finished cocoa products. He emphasised that cocoa is a livelihood and a heritage for millions across the continent.
“If Africa produces 70% of the world’s cocoa, then Africa can and must claim its rightful share of value, dignity, and prosperity,” he said.
He criticised the stark imbalance in the global cocoa economy, where African farmers earn less than USD $2 per day while multinational processors and chocolate manufacturers take more than 90 percent of industry profits. He warned that without bold reforms, Africa risked losing its leading position to emerging producers such as Ecuador and Brazil.
According to Adegoke, the “era of exporting 100% raw beans and importing finished cocoa products into Africa must end,” insisting that the continent must rewrite its cocoa story “by Africans, for Africans.”
COFAAA Ghana Country Director, Nana Yaw Reuben Jr., added that meaningful cocoa reforms must be led within Africa rather than dictated in foreign capitals, arguing that “you cannot hold cocoa talks in Europe and expect Africa to benefit fully.”
Participants highlighted three priority reform areas: African-led cocoa policy and governance; local processing and industrialisation supported by tax incentives and domestic investment; and farmer welfare and sustainability, particularly addressing climate change, ageing farms, deforestation and low farmer incomes.
Adegoke also addressed persistent concerns, including child labour, environmental degradation and gender inequality. He noted that although women contribute up to 70 percent of farm labour, they own less than 25 percent of agricultural land, urging reforms that are gender-responsive, youth-driven and inclusive.
The summit drew representatives from EU member states, the UK, and major cocoa-producing countries. Delegates from Nigeria included Dr Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; Alhaji Bukar Musa, Chair of the National Cocoa Management Committee (NCMC); and Ajayi Olutobaba, Deputy Director of the Cocoa Secretariat.
Development partners such as GIZ and Lutheran World Relief/Corus International also participated. Key value chain actors from Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon were in attendance, including COPAN, Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC), Dimitra Ghana, CADESA, LOCAGRI, TOUTOU SA, INP-HB and CAFCAO Prestige.
Farmers and cooperatives from across West and Central Africa reinforced grassroots representation at the summit.
The event climaxed with the African Cocoa Awards, celebrating institutions that have championed the continent’s cocoa development agenda. Ghana’s COCOBOD, Nigeria’s NCMC, Cameroon’s ONCC–NCBB, and Côte d’Ivoire’s Conseil du Café-Cacao received the Africa Cocoa Institution Development Champion Award. Sunbeth Global Concepts Ltd was honoured with the Africa Cocoa Fair Trading and Sustainability Champion Award.
“These institutions embody the spirit of unity and excellence that this summit represents,” Adegoke said.
In his closing remarks, he reaffirmed COFAAA’s commitment to advancing the continent’s cocoa agenda through its Producing–Processing–Consuming Countries (PPC) Framework, describing the summit as “a declaration of intent” to shift Africa’s cocoa narrative from survival to prosperity.
“The value of cocoa is not only in the beans we export, but in the futures we can build through unity, processing, and sustainability,” he said. “The future of cocoa belongs to Africa and Africa must lead the way.”
COFAAA, he added, remains dedicated to uniting cocoa farmers, strengthening cooperatives, promoting sustainability and advocating policies that ensure fair value distribution across the cocoa chain.
