Ghana Minute.
Saturday, 4 July 2026
Ghana’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Saturday, 4 July 2026
Accra—:—London—:—New York—:—Beijing—:—
Ghanaian press · Organization

COCOBOD

COCOBOD — Ghana's cocoa sector body managing pricing, procurement, and farmer protection amid fiscal challenges and sector reforms.

2026-04-282026-07-04
Share on WhatsApp

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. May 2026

  2. Joy Online

    … Cocobod would fully pay off each tranche before the next issuance. The bond plan comes as Ghana tries to rebuild the sector after cutting its farmgate cocoa price earlier in 2026. …

    Ghana to start selling $1 billion of cocoa bonds from July

  3. Joy Online

    … The event brought together a broad coalition of stakeholders, including representatives from district assemblies (Coordinating Directors, Planning Officers, Head of Departments), government agencies (Ghana Education Service, COCOBOD), traditional leaders, farmer groups, and commu …

    CARE International and Cargill expand PROSPER Programme in Ghana

  4. Joy Online

    … The company source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief ​the media, said COCOBOD has yet to reimburse PBC for 800 metric tons of cocoa delivered more than two months ago. …

    Farmers go unpaid as Ghana’s indebted state cocoa buyer faces asset seizure, source says

  5. Joy Online

    … Simultaneously, a domestic bond programme currently being finalised will seed Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) with the liquidity needed to purchase beans promptly at the farmgate, enabling COCOBOD to pay those contractors on delivery. …

    CMC MD courts global investors in London to back President Mahama’s cocoa sector reforms
  6. April 2026

  7. Joy Online

    … He explained that COCOBOD anti-cocoa smuggling unit in collaboration with security agencies had impounded 100 bags of cocoa beans and arrested four suspects in an operation, saying that preliminary information indicated that some LBCs were also cheating the cocoa farmers too. …

    ‘We are coming after you’ – Bono Minister to cocoa smugglers
Agriculture & Land

COCOBOD debt to agrochemical suppliers reflects broader fiscal strain

The News

Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko told Parliament that COCOBOD's indebtedness to fertilizer and agrochemical suppliers from 2021 to 2024 stems from procurement commitments that exceeded budgetary allocations. In 2021–2022, COCOBOD procured $455.7 million in agrochemicals against a $312.8 million budget, and this pattern continued in subsequent years, with the 2023–2024 season seeing $668.6 million contracted against a $76.5 million budget, while cocoa production declined.

Why it matters

Deputy Finance Minister reveals COCOBOD's massive agrochemical debt stemming from overspending that far exceeded budgets while cocoa production declined.

26 June 2026 · Daily Guide →

Friday 26 June

  1. COCOBOD debt to agrochemical suppliers reflects broader fiscal strain

    Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko told Parliament that COCOBOD's indebtedness to fertilizer and agrochemical suppliers from 2021 to 2024 stems from procurement commitments that exceeded budgetary allocations. In 2021–2022, COCOBOD procured $455.7 million in agrochemicals against a $312.8 million budget, and this pattern continued in subsequent years, with the 2023–2024 season seeing $668.6 million contracted against a $76.5 million budget, while cocoa production declined.

    26 June 2026 · Daily Guide →

Friday 19 June

  1. Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire align cocoa pricing to support farmers

    Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire have agreed to harmonise cocoa farm-gate pricing policies to strengthen farmer incomes, reduce market distortions, and build resilience against market volatility and climate risks. The two countries, which together produce more than 60 percent of global cocoa, aim to strengthen bargaining power and stabilise the sector through closer policy alignment.

    19 June 2026 · Business & Financial Times →

Tuesday 16 June

  1. Joy Online launches COCOBOD civic intelligence project archive

    Joy Online has compiled a civic intelligence project examining COCOBOD's activities between 2017 and 2026 through debt records, procurement, production trends, and public statements. The archive includes investigations into competing narratives on COCOBOD's financial condition, cocoa pricing formulas and farmer compensation, and policy debates affecting cocoa producers.

    16 June 2026 · Joy Online →

  2. Ghana government maintains cocoa producer price despite global downturn

    Ghana's government has decided not to cut the cocoa producer price despite falling international cocoa prices, citing concerns for farmer welfare after significant challenges over the past year. Cocobod's Head of Public Affairs said the decision to maintain prices was not based on international market conditions but on protecting farmers and Ghana's cocoa industry.

    16 June 2026 · Joy Online →

  3. Ghana maintains cocoa prices to protect farmers amid global decline

    COCOBOD says Ghana is holding cocoa producer prices steady despite falling international markets, contrasting with Côte d'Ivoire's practice of adjusting prices downward. The decision aims to protect farmers' incomes and is part of Ghana's conventional pricing system announced at the start of each cocoa season.

    16 June 2026 · Joy Online →

  4. COCOBOD defends mid-season cocoa price intervention decision

    COCOBOD's head of public affairs said the government's decision to intervene in cocoa pricing mid-season was extraordinary but necessary to protect farmers and safeguard the sector, departing from the conventional practice of announcing prices only at the start of the main and light crop seasons due to unforeseen developments.

    16 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 15 June

  1. Ghana announces cocoa sector reforms to strengthen farmer incomes

    In February 2026, Ghana's government announced comprehensive cocoa sector reforms including a producer price adjustment mechanism guaranteeing farmers a minimum of 70 per cent of the gross FOB price, a shift to domestic cedi-denominated financing, a mandate to process at least 50 per cent of cocoa locally from the 2026/27 season, and COCOBOD balance sheet restructuring.

    15 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 12 June

  1. Ghana showcases sustainable supply chain policy at global symposium

    The ISEAL Global Sustainability Symposium convened in Accra to discuss Ghana's policy leadership on sustainable supply chains, with speakers from COCOBOD and cocoa farming communities sharing experiences in strengthening traceability, forest governance and sustainable cocoa production.

    12 June 2026 · Joy Online →

  2. Gold Fields Foundation supports 205 cocoa farmers in Tarkwa area

    Gold Fields Ghana Foundation's Cocoa Farmers Support Programme has provided cocoa production inputs and technical support to 205 farmers across communities in the Tarkwa catchment area, including 105 newly enrolled farmers and 100 admitted in 2025, each receiving supplies for a four-acre farm.

    12 June 2026 · Business & Financial Times →

Wednesday 10 June

  1. GoldFields Foundation expands cocoa farmers support to 205 farmers

    The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has expanded its Cocoa Farmers Support Programme to benefit 205 cocoa farmers in the Tarkwa catchment area, with 105 new enrollees joining 100 existing farmers. Beneficiaries receive approved cocoa production inputs and technical support over three production cycles, including insecticides, fertilizer, and fungicides for four-acre farms.

    10 June 2026 · The Chronicle →

Saturday 6 June

  1. Opinion: BoG financial debate obscured by politics

    An opinion piece argues that debate over the Bank of Ghana's published financial reports has become politicized rather than focused on substantive accounting and economic analysis, with critics using standards inconsistently depending on their political position.

    6 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 1 June

  1. Ghana, UK convene summit on cocoa value chain investment

    Ghana and the United Kingdom are holding an investment summit in London themed "The Reset Agenda: Restoring Investor Confidence to Unlock Opportunities and Shared Prosperity," with a focus on repositioning Ghana's cocoa sector. The Cocoa Marketing Company, Ghana's sole authorized cocoa exporter, is working to convert the country's reputation for premium cocoa into investment opportunities across the value chain, moving beyond raw commodity exports.

    1 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 25 May

  1. Ghana to host June 2026 global sustainability summit on supply chains

    Ghana will host the ISEAL Global Sustainability Symposium on 9 June 2026 in Accra, bringing together supply chain leaders, policymakers and sustainability experts as the EU's Deforestation Regulation takes full effect by 30 December 2026. The summit will focus on making supply chains more resilient and equitable amid climate shocks, market volatility and tightening regulation.

    25 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 22 May

  1. Court of Appeal restores GN Savings and Loans operating licence

    Ghana's Court of Appeal unanimously overturned the Bank of Ghana's 2019 decision to revoke GN Savings and Loans Company Limited's operating licence, ruling the revocation was unfair and unreasonable and ordering the return of the institution's assets and operations to shareholders. The ruling marks a significant legal challenge to the 2017–2020 financial sector clean-up and a vindication for Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom.

    22 May 2026 · Business & Financial Times →

Thursday 21 May

  1. Ghana completes IMF credit facility ahead of schedule

    Ghana has successfully concluded its 17th Extended Credit Facility programme with the IMF ahead of schedule, marking an economic turnaround with falling inflation, a stabilized cedi, improving credit ratings, and gross international reserves of nearly US$14.5 billion. The country will now transition to a 36-month Policy Coordination Instrument focused on sustaining reforms and protecting economic gains.

    21 May 2026 · Business & Financial Times →

Tuesday 19 May

  1. Ghana's IMF Policy Coordination Instrument offers credibility, not growth stimulus

    Ghana has replaced its three-year IMF Extended Credit Facility with a Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI), marking symbolic progress after sovereign default and debt restructuring. However, the PCI is fundamentally a credibility tool rather than an economic stimulus, and judging it by growth expectations risks misleading national conversation about its actual purpose.

    19 May 2026 · Business & Financial Times →

Monday 18 May

  1. Ghana's exports shift from raw cocoa to processed products

    Ghana's non-traditional exports reached US$5.01 billion in 2025, a 30.7 per cent year-on-year increase, driven by a structural shift toward processed cocoa products rather than raw beans. Cocoa paste generated nearly US$790 million, while cocoa butter and cocoa powder exceeded 100 per cent growth compared to the previous year, reflecting expanded domestic processing capacity.

    18 May 2026 · Joy Online →

  2. IMF approves post-bailout framework as Ghana exits crisis financing

    Ghana has secured IMF staff-level backing for a three-year Policy Coordination Instrument, transitioning from crisis-era financing under the Extended Credit Facility toward a reform-focused framework. The IMF Executive Board is expected to consider the arrangement by end of July, marking Ghana's move away from bailout financing after entering a US$3 billion ECF programme in 2023 following a debt and currency crisis.

    18 May 2026 · Business & Financial Times →

Friday 15 May

  1. IMF urges Ghana to privatise ECG operations as energy crisis deepens

    The International Monetary Fund has pushed Ghana to accelerate private sector participation in the Electricity Company of Ghana's operations, warning that persistent energy sector problems threaten public finances and economic stability. The IMF identified tackling ECG's distribution and collection losses, enhancing payment discipline, and clearing legacy arrears as priority reforms needed to protect public resources.

    15 May 2026 · Joy Online →

  2. IMF praises Ghana's recovery, warns against abandoning reforms

    The International Monetary Fund says Ghana's economic recovery programme has delivered "substantial stabilisation gains," with falling inflation, stronger fiscal performance and improved foreign reserves, though it cautions against reversing reforms amid global economic uncertainty.

    15 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 14 May

  1. Ghana to raise $1 billion in cocoa bonds from July 2026

    Ghana, the world's second-largest cocoa producer, will start selling $1 billion of bonds from July to fund cocoa bean purchases for the 2026-27 harvest season, with issuances in three tranches of about $330 million each. The move aims to shift cocoa financing from foreign loans to local capital markets and reduce dollar risk.

    14 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 11 May

  1. CARE International and Cargill launch fourth phase of PROSPER programme

    CARE International and Cargill have officially launched the fourth phase of the PROSPER cocoa-sector development project at inception events in the Western North region, expanding to 20 additional communities in Sefwi Akontombra, Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai, and Sefwi Wiawso. The third phase reached over 364,000 people across 265 communities and delivered improvements in women's economic empowerment, food security, and market access.

    11 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 7 May

  1. State cocoa buyer PBC faces asset seizure amid unpaid farmers

    Ghana's state-owned Producer Buying Company has accumulated 673 million cedis in debt and is unable to purchase cocoa from farmers, with some owed 24 million cedis for over 9,000 bags already delivered. A consortium of Ghanaian banks secured a court order in March to sell off the company's assets, while thousands of smallholder farmers remain unpaid for beans delivered since November 2025.

    7 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 6 May

  1. CMC MD pitches President Mahama's 50% cocoa processing policy

    Ghana's Cocoa Marketing Company Managing Director presented President Mahama's plan to process 50% of Ghana's cocoa domestically at the London Stock Exchange, citing the country's 13 processing companies with 500,000 tonnes of combined capacity and the fact that approximately 70% of Ghana's 650,000–800,000 tonnes annual harvest currently leaves as raw beans.

    6 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 28 April

  1. Bono Minister warns cocoa smugglers of legal crackdown

    The Bono Regional Minister warned cocoa smuggling syndicates and licensed buying companies to cease smuggling operations or face legal consequences. The warning followed the impounding of 100 bags of cocoa beans and arrest of four suspects in Dormaa West District, amid findings that some companies purchase cocoa from farmers below official prices and apply unjustified deductions.

    28 April 2026 · Joy Online →

COCOBOD — Ghanaian press coverage · Ghana Minute