Dangote Moves to Secure Major Ghana Cocoa Supply of 500,000 Tonnes
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| Aliko Dangote (Nigerian businessman) |
Nigerian Businessman Aliko Dangote is in talks with the Ghanaian government on a proposed arrangement to process 500,000 metric tonnes of cocoa locally, according to Ghana's Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
Forson made the disclosure on Thursday during an interview on PM Express, a current affairs programme on Ghanaian news channel Joy News. He said Dangote had contacted him and President John Dramani Mahama personally to express interest in making Ghana a hub for cocoa processing.
According to the minister, the proposed deal could help Ghana reach its goal of processing more than half of its cocoa locally by 2028.
“A major businessperson operating in the sub-region has reached out to me to sign a contract for 500,000 metric tonnes of cocoa value addition here in Ghana to process it locally in Ghana.
“I think it would not hurt if I mentioned Dangote has reached out to use Ghana as a hub to process cocoa locally.
“He reached out to me. He reached out to His Excellency the President. He’s ready to come to Ghana,” he said.
Forson cautioned, however, that discussions are still ongoing. The terms of the proposed arrangement have yet to be finalised, and no contract has been signed.
The announcement comes as Ghana intensifies efforts to process more of its cocoa beans domestically instead of exporting them mostly in raw form.
In presenting the 2027 budget to Parliament, Forson set a target of processing at least 50 per cent of the country's cocoa locally by 2028, rising to 100 per cent by 2030, Joy News reports.
The plan is expected to take domestic processing beyond grinding cocoa beans to the production of cocoa liquor, butter, cake, powder, chocolate, cosmetics and other finished products.
According to the Ghana News Agency, the government's broader commercial agriculture programme is expected to receive $3bn under a $10bn economic transformation agenda covering 2027 to 2030.
The proposed move towards full local processing is intended to keep more of the income and industrial benefits of the cocoa industry within Ghana, while creating opportunities for local businesses and workers.
Dangote is the founder and president of Dangote Group, one of West Africa's largest conglomerates, with interests in cement, sugar, fertiliser, food processing and oil refining.
He began his career trading commodities such as rice, sugar and cement before expanding into manufacturing. His investments include Dangote Cement, which operates in several African countries, and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, which began processing crude oil in 2024.
Forbes' billionaire rankings list him as Africa's richest man.
