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Saturday, 9 May 2026
Ghana’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Saturday, 9 May 2026
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Organization

Ghana Cocoa Board

Also known as: Anti-Smuggling Unit of the Ghana Cocoa Board · Anti-Smuggling Unit

Ghana Cocoa Board — government agency overseeing cocoa sector financing, anti-smuggling operations, and regulatory framework, developing new funding model for 2026/27 season.

The Ghana Cocoa Board is implementing a new domestic funding model for the 2026/27 cocoa season, moving away from dollar-dependent syndicated loans toward commercial paper and domestic liquidity while maintaining farmer payments at 70% of FOB price. The board has also stepped up anti-smuggling operations, arresting suspects and intercepting smuggled cocoa, and is exploring value-addition partnerships with cocoa startups to diversify products.

2026-04-262026-05-09
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Agriculture & Land

COCOBOD develops new funding model for 2026/27 cocoa season

The News

Ghana's Cocoa Board has disclosed that a new funding model for the cocoa sector is nearing completion for implementation in the 2026/2027 crop season. The model aims to shift away from syndicated loans that require 70–92% of the cocoa crop to be collateralised, instead mobilising capital through commercial paper, commercial notes, and domestic liquidity, while maintaining a 70% farmer payment on FOB price and introducing periodic pricing reviews.

Why it matters

COCOBOD's new funding model for 2026/27 cocoa season could reshape Ghana's largest export revenue source and farmer payment systems.

18 hours ago · Joy Online →

Yesterday

  1. COCOBOD develops new funding model for 2026/27 cocoa season

    Ghana's Cocoa Board has disclosed that a new funding model for the cocoa sector is nearing completion for implementation in the 2026/2027 crop season. The model aims to shift away from syndicated loans that require 70–92% of the cocoa crop to be collateralised, instead mobilising capital through commercial paper, commercial notes, and domestic liquidity, while maintaining a 70% farmer payment on FOB price and introducing periodic pricing reviews.

    18 hours ago · Joy Online →

  2. Ghana plans $1 billion domestic cocoa bond for 2026/27 season

    Ghana intends to raise $1 billion through domestic cedi-denominated bonds to fund cocoa purchases from farmers ahead of the 2026/27 crop season, as part of efforts to reduce reliance on dollar funding and foreign lenders. The bond, expected before the cocoa season begins around August, is part of a broader overhaul of how the country finances and delivers cocoa to global buyers amid market volatility and funding pressures from falling prices.

    22 hours ago · Joy Online →

  3. Boafo calls for systemic reform and individual accountability

    Former COCOBOD Head of Public Affairs Fiifi Boafo has urged a balanced approach following the investigative report into Charles Amissah's death, calling for both structural reforms in Ghana's healthcare system and scrutiny of individuals involved, while warning against the report gathering dust without action.

    22 hours ago · Joy Online →

Thursday 7 May

  1. Fiapre court grants bail to four cocoa smuggling suspects

    The Fiapre Circuit Court has granted GH¢10,000 bail each to four persons arrested in April for allegedly smuggling more than 100 bags of cocoa beans from Côte d'Ivoire. The suspects, arrested by the Ghana Cocoa Board's Anti-Smuggling Unit and security operatives at Nkrankwanta, must reappear in court on May 13, 2026, and report weekly to police.

    7 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 29 April

  1. WMO warns El Niño may elevate 2027 temperatures, risk droughts and floods for Ghana

    The World Meteorological Organization indicates El Niño conditions may develop in 2026, potentially raising global temperatures into 2027 and disrupting rainfall patterns. For Ghana, this could intensify disruptions to rainfall, flooding, and pressure on food and energy systems, with agriculture particularly vulnerable as farming systems depend heavily on seasonal rains.

    29 April 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 28 April

  1. COCOBOD CEO visits cocoa innovation startup to scale value addition

    Ghana's Cocoa Board Chief Executive Dr. Randy Abbey and the Swiss Ambassador to Ghana visited KOA Impact in Achiase to explore cocoa juice extraction from cocoa sweatings, with plans to strengthen collaboration and scale the initiative across cocoa-growing regions as part of efforts to diversify cocoa products.

    28 April 2026 · Business & Financial Times →

  2. COCOBOD anti-smuggling unit arrests four suspects, impounds cocoa

    Ghana's Cocoa Board anti-smuggling unit arrested four suspects and intercepted a truck carrying over 100 bags of cocoa beans believed smuggled from Côte d'Ivoire to Ghana in an operation at Nkrankwanta in Dormaa West District. The Bono Regional Minister said the operation followed a tip-off during an "Accounting to the People" tour, where farmers raised concerns that some Licensed Buying Companies and cocoa clerks were purchasing smuggled beans instead of buying from local farmers.

    28 April 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 27 April

  1. Former Education Minister shares secondary school journey

    Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, former Minister of Education and MP for Bosomtwe, recalled becoming the first in his family to attend secondary school, describing the challenges of navigating the system as a village boy and the financial hardships that forced him to attend as a day student at Jachie Pramso Senior High School, studying General Arts with Mathematics and French electives.

    27 April 2026 · Joy Online →

Sunday 26 April

  1. Cocoa farmers' 61% world price share inadequate, policy consultant argues

    Policy consultant Nick Opoku contends that cocoa farmers' average 61% share of world prices over the past 15 years is inadequate and raises constitutional fairness concerns, citing Ghana's Constitution requirement for prompt, fair, and adequate compensation for compulsory acquisition of property. He notes farmers received as low as 37% in 2007/2008 and highlights delays in payments from the Ghana Cocoa Board.

    26 April 2026 · Joy Online →

  2. Experts examine constitutionality of Ghana's cocoa regulatory framework

    JoyNews The Law will discuss whether Ghana's cocoa sector regulations, particularly the Ghana Cocoa Board's regulatory powers, balance national interest with cocoa farmers' rights and withstand constitutional scrutiny.

    26 April 2026 · Joy Online →

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